The Forgotten Child of Darkness
by Lunaramithist
Summary: Hiei/OC - Kori is a girl with the powers of a Demon who is protected by Koenma. Dark forces begin to stir in the Makai after the Demon World Tournament, but how is Kori involved and why is Hiei drawn to protect her? What secrets does her past reveal about a devastating future? Meant as a sequel to the Original Story Line, but will be based more on the manga's ending. Hiei/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A cold and silent wind blows eerily through a bleak forest on the edge of the Makai. The moon, round and bright, was barely visible through the thick, darkened clouds that streamed the solemn sky overhead. The leaves glided noiselessly through the air and the ground slightly stirred against the cool breeze. All else was quiet and still until a the faint sound of decaying leaves falling to pieces emerged from the distance.

A young girl walks out into a clearing and stopped short of the tree line. The wind swept out and caught her cloak in its life. 'Where is that damn demon? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago', she thought irritably. 'He might have been caught if he is this late. Might as well head home for the night and find out what happened tomorrow'. With that she continued on her way.

She stopped suddenly, evidently broken from her concentration by an ominous aura arriving in the area. Stretching out her senses she felt that the on coming energy in headed strait for her. 'Damn', she thought irritably, 'I'm not in the mood for such a low class Youkai such as that'. Just then a demon about six feet tall with green skin and covered with horns burst through the undergrowth in a rampage. She sighed irritably and throwing off her cloak she drew a beautiful katana with an onyx hilt and a dragon design down the blade from an ebony sheath on her back. With one swing the demon that once towered over her small stature was cut in half, falling to the ground in a green bloody heap.

Sighing she said feeling very bored, "Not even worth my time; such a weakling".

Taking a piece of cloth from the corps she wiped her sword clean of the demon's reeking blood before sheathing it once more in it's ebony covering. She draped her cloak around her shoulders as she left, but stopped short when the moon moved from behind the clouds shining on a strange silver object nearly hidden under the demon's hand. Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached down and pulled the creature's fingers apart to reveal two small yet identical jewels on a thin chain. Slowly picked them up, she marveled at their beauty as they gleamed in the moonlight.

Suddenly a dark and malevolent presence filled the atmosphere sending an aching chill down her spine. The presence had a very high energy level to it, which made her very nervous. 'Could this be an alley of the creature I just killed?', she thought erratically. The winds shifted at that vary moment bring in the smell of demon and blood causing her to reach for her sword instinctively only to find it too late. Hot breath appeared on her neck panting from exertion. Her skin went cold. No one has ever gotten that close to her before without her sensing it. 'Looks I have met my met my match', she admitted.

She turned cautiously to meet the crimson eyes of a demon a few inches taller then she was, staring down into her demonic hazel eyes, seeming very pissed. He was wearing a blue, tattered muscle shirt covered in blood stains and black, baggy pants held up by two white belts with a katana strapped to them on his left side. There was a long bandage wrapped around his right arm that started from his shoulder going down to his fingers. There was also a white bandana wrapped around his forehead that had a very strange feeling to it, as if it concealed something very ominous and powerful. His hair seemed to defy gravity and was as black as the new moon, except for the white highlights of his bangs. Fresh cuts and burses covered his arms and face, as if he was recently in a very long and hard battle. His glair seemed to hide a deep and emending desirer deep within them, along with impending rage.

With a gruesome and shire voice that sent painfully, icy shivers all over her body, he said, "That...is mine".

Knowing now that he is defiantly is not in league with the other demon or doesn't care about its demise she regained her composure and with a sly tone, replied, "Oh. But I thought I was the one who took it from this demon?".

He began to get impatient with her response, his eyes seem to flair up as if on fire and answered with an even darker tone, drawing his katana as he spoke, "You will give it to me, or else I ...will ...kill ...you...".

With an evil smile, she replied, "You want it that badly? Then you will have to fight me for it. It has been a long time since I had a sparing match with someone of your stature".

He was getting very angry by this point and began to yell with irradiance in his voice, "I don't have time to play sword with a woman! Now give it to me or I will cut you in two, girl!".

She sighed and said sternly, getting irritated herself, "You have my answer", then turned from him to continue on her way.

She smiled to herself when she felt his energy jump high into the sky in an air born attack. Throwing off her cloak once again she unsheathed her sword and dodged his attack just in time. She was glad that she wore her not so loose clothes for her mission otherwise they would have impeded her movements in this sort of fight.

She smiled excitedly with a good fight impending and thought as she disappeared into the darkness with a blackish red blur, 'He is no ordinary demon, is he'. She caught him off guard with her unexpected speed and she swung her sword towards him with the intent to slice his chest, but only caught his shirt as he nearly escaped her attack. He did a back flip and landed several yards from where she was, examining his shirt.

He looked up at her and smiled excitedly and said while going into a defensive stance, "This is going to be interesting".

The girl smiled back and said, "Interesting would be considered an under statement".

With that the two of them both leaped into the air and vanished with their impeccable speed in a playful battle. The only thing that could be seen by the naked eye as evidence of their fight were small flashes of light created by their swords colliding in an endless array of skill and determination. The moon ducked in and out of the clouds as the battle presided uninterrupted by anything. The forest was completely quiet, given the noise created by their swords clashing together. The sound spread, echoing through the trees as if the trees themselves purposefully carried the sound around the forest to inform the other plants and animals that they were there, in the infinite silence of the night.

Until finally all the silence was broken by a crash created when the young girl hitting the ground hard, indenting the forest floor as she skidded across it. When she stopped the guy jumped on top of her, grabbing her wrists and sitting on her stomach, pinning her to the ground.

He said in an amused voice, "Do you yield?".

Struggling against his strength she retorted, "Yes, I yield". But he still held you firmly, smirking at her determination.

"Will you give it back now?", he said forcefully. "Yes, I'll give it back!", she barked getting irritated. He was amused with his ability to anger her with such little force behind his holding her down, but soon something else caught his interest.

With that he let her up and she handed the necklace back to him. He quickly grabbed it from her hand and, with a strange glare that she could not make out, put it back around his barren neck. The both of them sat for a minute absorbing the silence of the night.

'She is not a Demon, but she fights like one. That other thing is also curious' he thought as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that her hazel eyes had a glow to them giving the allusion that she was as he is, but her scent was nothing like a demon's. Her energy was off as well. It was more like spiritual energy then demonic energy, but it was not spiritual energy at the same time.

There was also the sleeping void of power within her. He found this most curious. If she had released even a minuet amount of it she could have destroyed him and taken what she wanted. His only conclusion for the fact that he beat her was that she had no idea that it was there, or at least how to tap into it. He saw it best to leave her knowledge of it as it was.

Finally breaking the quietness of the moment, the small demon asked in a more sincere voice, "Your name...?".

She looked up at him for a moment examining his face in an effort to see any malevolent meaning behind his question. Seeing only curiosity she replied, "It's Kori. What's yours?".

He struggle with a response and quickly stood up and began to leave. He could not decide wether it was good for her to know who he was, but his escape was interrupted by her voice stopping him. "Hey! That isn't very polite you know!", she called to him.

"Hn, neither is keeping something that doesn't belong to you...", he said sternly.

Her faced flushed a brilliant shade of pink in slight embarrassment, but then she glared at him when she saw him grin at her reaction to his words.

He turned from her again and reconsidered her question, and then replied, "Hiei... my name is Hiei".

With that he left without another word to her. Kori sat for a moment watching him as he left. 'Hiei', she thought admirably to herself, 'I hope that you're not that much of an asshole if we ever meet again'. A few moments later she got up herself and continued on her way through the dark and chill of the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

After a few moments she again continued on her way. Sighing, she thought to herself, 'Well, I'm obviously not going to find what I'm looking for tonight, might as well turn in'. In an instant she began to focus her spiritual energy into a black stone around her neck; concentrating very hard. A dark light surrounded her body as she fixated on gathering what was left of her energy. When enough was summoned she extended her hand and whispered, "Tobira o hiraku", and a small portal opened in a millisecond. She skillfully jumped through it and emerged in the human world behind a white set of apartment buildings.

The young girl walked glumly up the stairs of the building, thinking to herself, 'Oh well, at least it was fun while it lasted. I probably wouldn't have found that damn demon anyways. I got a good workout though'. Finally arriving at her door she unlocked it and entered the humbly decorated dwelling. It had the basic furniture; couch, loveseat, coffee table, lamps, but no TV or pictures or any decorative things of that nature. The kitchen had few things in it as well; only a fridge, a stove, and a microwave. She glanced at her surroundings feeling slightly annoyed at its normalness and grander. Not being very hungry, she went strait to her room, which only had a bed, an in table and a lamp, and fell on to the soft cushion of her bed, instantly entering into the bliss of sleep without even bothering to change; what was really the point?.

In the mists of her slumber, she again had the same nightmare that has haunted her since childhood, but still insists on eluding her memory. She began to shift uneasily, tossing and turning in her torpidity, as the dream slowly became worse. It was always the same; a man gaffing as he slaughtered hundreds of people, seeming to enjoy their screams of pain. Bodies, blood, and bodiless limbs surrounded were he stood as he laughed at the carnage he had created. She awoke with a start just after sunrise in a cold sweat, trying hard to remember the dream that seemed so familiar. As it slowly seeped from her memory once again, she got up and took a very quick shower.

The hot water felt incredible on her swore muscles from the fight with Hiei the night before. His face flashed suddenly in her mind; his intense crimson eyes penetrating deep within her mind once again. Shaking her head, she came back to reality feeling very flustered. 'Woh, wait a minute. What the hell was that? I'm not thinking about him, am I? Of course not, why would I. I mean there is nothing to think about!'. So pushing the memory out of her mind, she emerged from the shower and began dressing for school. School, how incredibly agitating. Being with the very things she detested the most was all but completely intolerable. Even though she was an assassin, she had to keep a low profile while undercover in the human world, which meant going to school like any other human child of which age she resembled.

Grabbing her bag she left dreading having to be nice and cheerful around her human 'friends'. Now that alone was laughable. She had only once in her life had someone worthy of being called her friend, though at the time she desperately wanted to call him something very different. But the point was that she only considered those she trusted with her life to be a friend or at least an alley. So in short, it was very strange indeed to refer to these humans as friends, but they called her as such so, in her mind, she was merely granting them the same courtesy. After all, a young girl with friends was less likely to be singled out if her true identity should ever be revealed.

Arriving early to school, she was greeted by her 'friends'. 'I guess they aren't that bad', she thought to herself as she waved to them, 'They are at least entertaining with their innocence at times'.

"Hi, Kori!", said a cheery girl with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hi, Keiko", she replied as casually and cheerfully as she could possibly muster without becoming ill.

"Hey, Keiko!", said another girl in the group in a taunting voice, "Tell her about your new boyfriend!", she added teasingly.

Keiko seemed to get very irritated with her comment, but she answered calmly but firmly, "For the last time, he is not my boyfriend!", while looking in the other direction.

"Who are you guys talking about?", Kori asked, not really interested.

"She means Urameshii!", said the other girl.

"We are not going out!", Keiko barked irritably.

"Who's Urameshii?", she asked feeling that she's heard that name before.

"Well seeing as you have only been here for a few days, you probably don't know him", said Keiko, "He has been suspended for a month for fighting. He should be coming back today".

With that the first bell rang signaling that classes were about to start. "Oh, we better hurry before we're late", said the other girl.

While running down the hallway Kori spotted a lazy looking boy with slicked back black hair in a green jumpsuit sitting casually in the principle's office being yelled at. What seemed funny was that he seemed unfazed by the principle's ratings. Usually human children are affected when an adult is yelling at them, but he just sat there staring in to space as if he was completely alone in the room.

Another boy with long red hair, dark green eyes and a maroon jump suit was standing just outside the door. As she passed him his gaze shifted from the floor strait to her as if she had just yelled for him. For a moment their eyes met and fought in a fierce battle, as the both of them starred at each other. His focus was unfaltering as he stared suspiciously at her, as if he could see right through her. She would have sworn that she felt a Youkai presence within him if she didn't know any better. 'How could that be? But he's human isn't he?. Then again...', she looked back toward the boy, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Finally arrived at her homeroom class she found that everyone was already filling into their seats just as the final bell rang. Class started as usual with the teacher's daily lecture, when suddenly the door burst open and the same guy she had seen in the principles office walked in with a huge grin on his face saying, "Hello everyone! The great Urameshii is back!", with a large amount of sarcasm in his voice.

He didn't look all that tough for being kicked out of school for fighting, but Kori decided to measure his energy for personal info anyways. So, she focused hard to dig deep enough to feel his true power. This was incredibly difficult for he attentively hid his energy from being detected, which she found very unusual. When she found it, an electric shock went through her entire body from its intensity, 'How can a human have so much spiritual energy?'. The thought consumed her until a familiar Youkai presence entered the room. "And we also have a visiting student", he added with far too little enthusiasm. With that he walked to his seat in the back and the tall guy with red hair and dark green eyes walked in. 'Crap, there's that guy again. What the hell is going on? Is he on to me or something, or did he just follow that Urameshii character here completely by chance? No...This is no coincidence, something is going on'. She focused all of her concentration into sensing his hidden energy. It took a second, but her efforts were paid off. She was astonished to feel the kind of incredible energy stored deep within him. 'There was no mistake now, he is a Youkai'.

The thought of why a demon in human form was in the human world was beyond her, but she kept her cool so as to not draw too much attention to herself. But nonetheless he politely introduced himself to the class as Suichi and sat down in the back row by Urameshii. The rest of the class went by smoothly after the teacher chewed Urameshii out for being late. Lunch finally came around and she met Keiko in the usual spot. She could not get the other Youkai's presence in the human world out of her mind. 'Why on earth would a demon of his stature be here of all places?'.

To the young girl's surprise Keiko was looking at her with a concerned expression on her face and asked, "Is something wrong, Kori?".

Her voice startled Kori for a moment, but she quickly replied, "Ohh, it's nothing. I… uuhhh… just have a feeling that I'm forgetting something! That's all!".

Just then an extremely tall boy with orange hair came running up like an idiot saying, "Hi Keiko! Who's the cutie!", he added with a wide grin.

"Oh, this is my friend Kori. She's new to the school", she replied nervously.

Without hesitating he jumped in between the two of them and said stupidly, "Hi, Kori! Do you want to go on a date with me?".

Kori clenched her fists so as to not lose her temper and replied, "Not in a million years, creep!", thinking it was an appropriate response for the person she was portraying. She would have rather cut him into pieces and fed the bits to a pit of demonic dogs.

But of course, as she suspected that didn't stop him from trying to flirt with her. It got to the point that she knocked him half way across the schoolyard for his aggravating comments.

Urameshii, who was on his way over, walked up to him and said, "When are you going to get it through your thick head that girls don't want to date you, moron!".

The guy just laid there with a stupid expression and a huge hand print on his face. Urameshii just sighed and stepped over him continuing to talk to Suichi as they made their way over to Kori and Keiko.

"So why exactly are you here, Kurama? Oh, uuuhhh. Hi Keiko!", he said a little too quickly.

Kori felt dumbstruck thinking, 'Didn't he say his name was Suichi?'. But non-the-less she felt that she had heard that name as well somewhere before, but yet again she was drawing a blank.

Keiko seemed to get very angry with him saying, "That is all you have to say to me after disappearing on me again and then didn't even call to apologize!", she barked.

He looked slightly scared and replied pleadingly, "I'm sorry, but Koenma...", he stopped short when he noticed the young girl that was staring at him wide eyed.

It was then when she realized who they were. He was Yusuke Urameshii and his friend was Yoko Kurama in, what she assumed was his human form. They were the winners of the Dark Tournament, orchestrators and participators in the Makai Tournament and they worked for Spirit World. This new information sent panic throughout her body. She had to get away before they discovered who she was and why she was here.

"Ummmm, Keiko. I just remembered that I had to pick up some work from a teacher of mine. I'll see you later, ok?", Kori rambled hastily.

Keiko looked slightly shocked at her insistence to leave and replied, "Umm, sure Kori...", as she took off at a run.

"Who's your friend?", Yusuke asked.

"Ummm, that was Kori. She's new. Speaking of new, why are you at our school Kurama?", she asked.

Kurama sweat dropped and smiled while saying, "Well that, I'm afraid, is a bit of a story".

Little did they know that Kori was ease dropping from behind a nearby wall listening intently to what they were talking about.

"Well it all started with our last mission to the Makai earlier this week. We were sent to regain a strange artifact that was stolen from a very prominent mage. We retrieved the artifact with no problem, but the demon that had it was supposed to give it to a demon girl who is hiding in the vicinity of this school. So to be able to locate the one responsible for recruiting the artifact to be stolen we must first find this girl spy that continues to eluded us", he looked over towards the direction that Kori had took off in with those same suspicious eyes.

She stood stunned by this new development, thinking, 'They're here to find me? So they do know who I am. Damn! I've got to get out of here'. With that she ditched school the rest of the day and took off to her apartment to retrieve her things, such as her weapons and so forth. She decided to leave that night, knowing that if she left now, she would attract too much attention to herself. So in the mean time she packed up what she initially brought with her and put all of her affaires in order, such as her weekly rented apartment and things. So when night fell, she left her humble dwelling for the Makai under the cover of darkness. At around midnight, she arrived at a park on the edge of town.

The trees were still and the wind was quiet, too quiet. She stopped in a large oak tree to feel her surroundings. 'Something is wrong. The energy here is not right. It was as if someone was waiting for me; watching me; wanting me to make myself known'. She froze in her place, not moving a muscle, just listening; sensing the earth and plants around her. They were whispering to each other in their silent way about new comers to the area and they were looking for someone.

Suddenly there was a flash of energy behind her as if someone just jumped past her with incredible speed, causing her to stumble out of the oak she was in. Almost as soon as she hit the ground a small blast of blue spirit energy was sent flying in her direction. Knowing she couldn't avoid it, she quickly through up an energy shield to block most of the attack, but the force of it through her into the clearing behind the oak.

Quickly regaining her composure, Kori drew her sword just in time to block a whip made of thorns from slicing her side. Its owner jumped out of the darkness and appeared right in front of her. It was none other then Kurama himself. He drew back his weapon and prepared for another attack, but she had no intention of letting him get that chance. With her speed she raced across and sliced his arm before he could make another move, but didn't stop there. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, before more of his friends show up, but too little too late.

Suddenly a shining sword thing came at her out of nowhere and there was a clash of sword on energy as Kuwabara stepped out of the shadows. She jumped back away from him and then forward at full speed, saying, "I don't have time to be messing around with a weakling!".

She then turned her sword to the blunt side and repeatedly struck him anywhere she could aim for until he collapsed to the ground in a black and blue heap. Seeing no further danger being imposed by him she continued on her way through the trees as fast as she could. Just as she was about to disappear from the area completely, yet another small energy blast was sent flying towards her causing her to jump out of the cedar she was in and hit the ground very hard.

Yusuke stood in front of her with a cocky grin on his face and said, "So do you give up yet?".

Kori looked up at him with a sly smile and replied, "Last time I checked, detective, I was the one winning".

His eyes flared and he said, "Well see about that!", as he charged in a rage and began to swing at her with his fists.

She of course avoided his assaults easily and began to retaliate with the blunt side of her sword. Every punch he through she returned with a hit from her sword to any part he had left open. With one last full assault he hit the ground and she took off once again. She ran as fast as she could through the trees until she thought she was a safe distance away from them. Kori then began to focus her energy in to the stone around her neck to create another portal to the Makai. But just as she was going to say the words a blunt object hit her on the back of the head, instantly knocking her out.


	3. Chapter 3

6

Chapter Three

Warning - Those with weak stomachs and or intororence towards blood and gore please be weary of this chapter. It containes vile description and upseen violence. Please skip if unable to handle. For those intending to continue, you have been warned.

Yusuke sat up cursing himself for underestimating that girl and then got up to run after her. He met up with Kurama who was trying his best to help Kuwabara walk. His right arm was bleeding from where Kori had slashed him and Kuwabara was bruised and bleeding from head to toe.

"Holly shit! What the hell happened to you guys?", exclaimed Yusuke.

Kuwabara just gave him a dirty look, but Kurama replied, "It seems that we have underestimated her. She is no ordinary spy, but considering how long it took us to locate her, it is not all that surprising".

He set Kuwabara down and leaned him up against a tree, before running off in the direction that Kori took off in.

"Hey! Where are you going!", yelled Yusuke.

Kurama stopped and said, "It would be wise to at least follow her trail to see where she goes".

Yusuke stood there stupidly for a moment and then ran after him.

"Hey! Your not leaving me here are you!", called Kuwabara.

Yusuke turned and yelled back with a laugh, "We'll try to remember to come back for you!".

Kuwabara got up and yelled back, "The hell with that!", and hobbled off in his companion's direction.

Kurama emerged from the tree line to see Hiei standing over the young girl's unconscious body while sheathing his sword and concealing it beneath his cloak.

"Hiei", said Kurama, shocked. "I never expected you to come to our aid", he continued with a slightly amused tone in his voice.

Hiei gave him a cold glare and retorted very annoyed, "I was in the area. It seems that it was a good thing I was or else this girl would have completely humiliated you all".

Just then Yusuke entered the clearing almost entirely out of breath. "Oh...hey...Hiei", he said breathlessly. "I see you have met our little friend here...".

At that moment Kuwabara fell face down into the clearing grumbling in pain.

"Hn...Hardly. I can see how a fighter of her caliber defeated the Idiot, but not you detective or least of all you Kurama. You'd think you all had gone soft just because she's a girl".

Kuwabara lifted his head and yelled, "You jerk! Your not suppose to hit girls!".

Hiei crossed his arms and replied teasingly, "Oh...I see how well that has worked for you".

Kuwabara scoffed and said, "You can keep them from hitting you, but you can't hit back. It's just wrong".

Hiei just turned away saying, "Ch...Whatever", and just disappeared in his quiet way.

As she began to blackout, strange voices surrounded and cavorted in her thoughts in a confusing array of words and images. They swam elegantly through the waves of her mind as if they, themselves, created the endless liquid that immersed her, penetrating every part of her senses. She closed her eyes reveling in the serenity of her own intelligence, but just as she began to slip into the quiet blissfulness of her own psyche, the darkness that secretly resided in her soul consumed her spiritual essence in complete blackness.

It felt as if she was being pulled by an unknown force deep into the ebony in her own quintessence. She landed softly on the most despondent, indecipherable level of her subconscious, which lies deep within the forgotten portion of her soul. Sitting alone in the dark, glimpses of different memories began to flash erratically in her mind, like a broken movie reel that skipped along its projector. Only one reminiscent of her past lingered in her thoughts as she passed into the oblivion of the lost vicinity of her own memory and it was the last thing she wanted to think about. It was the worst memory from her past; her family's death.

It seemed so long ago, but it was still fresh in her mind, like a bad dream that she would never wake up from. It would be years before she truly understood what happened to her family, but even then there would be many questions left unanswered. Not wanting to relive the horror again, she tried to push it out of her mind, but the images escaped her will.

As a young girl Kori loved to sit by the pond next to her village at dusk, to watch the fireflies fly elegantly through the reads and tall grass. It always seemed so soothing and comforting to her just to sit and watch. One particular night would be forever cemented in her memory. Her older sister would come and get her when dinner was ready, but that day she was late. The sun began to sink behind the mountains as the night creped out of the shadows. Kori decided to go back to her family's house on the assumption that they just forgot where she was. The wind picked up suddenly as she made her way through the forest by her house, a harsh wind came blowing with the scent of fire and blood. With that she suddenly heard rustling in the bushes behind her. As she turned around something hit her hard on the back of the head.

She came to a while later only to see herself standing over the tattered and ragged body of her older sister as a flood of her own blood pooled around her. Kori fell to the floor unable to breath and heard a clink as she hit the ground. Looking over towards the sound she saw a knife that seemed to be made of dark, dripping entrails attached to her hand. Screaming she threw it across the room and ran out calling to her mother. Bursting into her mother's room she saw a sight that would haunt her deepest nightmares and soul.

Her mother was slain; lying in pools of her own blood with blades and throwing stars imbedded into her flesh. Her limp body looked unreal to her young eyes, lying there cold and dead. She reached down to touch her mother as tears began to fill her eyes, but quickly pulled away when she saw her eyes glazed over lifelessly. She fell to the floor unable to take her eyes off of her dear mother. The image was so remembered that she gave no notice to the fact that her eyes finally began to drift away form the horror of her kind mother's torn body.

She gradually began to wonder where she was and why the room smelled of blood and death. Getting up from the floor she slowly made her way down the blood painted hall to the broken and burnt front door. Sliding it out of the way and stepping on to the charred lawn, she almost immediately tripped over something wet and solid. She opened her eyes only to be faced with a man whose eyes were fixed on the stars and whose mouth dripped with dark liquid. His face stirred a memory of some kind within her, but not a good one she decided as she crawled over his corps only to come upon a second and a third and a hundred after that. Some had missing arms, some missing heads, but nothing phased her numbed and lost mind.

It seemed to her that she kept passing the same stiff and wet thing, but in reality the memory of each corps she crawled over was lost as soon as she moved over it. The only thing that seemed to bother her senses was the continual smell of rot and blood. After being sick many times because of the smell she finally came to a place with enough light to see her surroundings. The only thing that came to her attention besides the uneven carpet that lied between her and her beloved wood with the pond was a man laughing on what seemed to be a hill of lifeless eyes, dark liquid and arms and legs.

Kori's eyes were dripping with sour water as these images faded back in to the crevices of her soul. Her whole body was shaking in disbelief and fear. It felt as if she sat there reveling in her lost mind for ages. After a while she convinced herself that they were lies and that they never happened. 'How could it?', she told herself with a laugh. 'I don't even know who those people were, let alone could have done any of that'. But somewhere deep within her, she knew that she was lying to herself and that she needed to for a while longer. Laying down she closed her eyes and just let everything go as if they were a clump of leaves that a strong wind blew away to be forgotten.

She woke with a start to find her face, as well as her pillow, soaked from crying in her sleep. She reached up to wipe her face, but her wrists were shackled to a wall by long, thick chains. Looking around, she found herself alone. She was in an oddly familiar room with cemented walls and bars across the large windows that hung high above her head. The moon glistened through the window enlightening everything in the room in a misty blue.

She was sitting on an old creaking bed with a hard mattress made of overused foam rubber. On the opposite wall of the bed was a gray steel door with bars across a small window close to the top of the frame. Remembering her encounter with the detectives she grunted to herself irritably, 'Ch...Can't say I haven't been here before. I can't believe I let them catch me. Damn them!', she thought to herself as she looked around the dungeon like room he usually kept her in for interrogation. 'Seems Koenma stepped up security since the last time I was here', she thought as she noticed the energy of the invisible force field imbedded in the walls. 'I don't think I can escape so easily this time. Might as well see what he wants'.

Not wanting to spend her time chained to the wall she used a little bit of her strength to pull and snap the chains that acted as props for her confinement. Then she broke off the shackles from her wrists and rubbed them till the soreness dissipated. She sighed wiping her face free of the drying tears that plagued it. It wasn't all too unusual for her to wake up from a trying sleep with her face wet with tears, but it bothered her that she never remembered what she dreamed about to cause it.

Forgetting about the whole thing she jumped up onto the large window above her and there she sat for a while absorbing the quietness of the night. The wind swayed the trees, the clouds glided across the sky, and the moon traveled in its silent way through the night. Just when she was completely relaxed, her mind began to drift back to when the detectives caught her. That blur of black that caused her to fall from the tree and something hard and round hitting her on the back of the head.

'Who was that?', she asked herself, 'The detectives couldn't have gotten there so fast, I made sure of that. That hit was obviously given by someone who was right handed. It couldn't have been Youko because he wouldn't have been able to use his right arm after I slashed him the way I did. The stupid one had to have been unconscious for at least a few minutes and even then he wouldn't have been able to walk, let alone move that fast. The other one seems too rash to come up with a clean move like that. But if they were so occupied, who hit me?'.

Just as her head started to ach from the inflow of visions from her capture, someone started to fiddle around with the door and unlocking what seemed like a hundred or so locks. She sighed and waited for the door to open, which, ironically, took ages to accomplish. Finally the door flung open and a familiar figure stood in the mists of it, but she couldn't tell exactly who because the shadows hid his face. He shut the door and walked slowly forward into the moonlight, causing the beams to reveal his frame inch by inch. She could tell that he was wearing traditionally styled clothing, obviously from the human world. He had white baggy pants, a loose fitting white shirt that had a yellow robe of some kind, with slits up the sides, that came down to his knees and a blue sash that tied around his waist. When the light shined on his face she sat back in slight shock, but was careful not to make a sound. It was Kurama again. His hair was as red as blood and his deep green eyes gleamed as they tried to hide his anger.

Feeling his eyes on her, she looked at him with hard eyes. "How's the arm, Kitsune?", she added teasingly hoping to get a rise out of him, which worked to her amusement. His eyes narrowed in anger and laughing silently to herself, she turned back to the window. After a short silence he finally spoke.

"Koenma wants to see you", he said plainly. He was obviously still trying to hide his real feelings.

But his efforts didn't go unnoticed by her keen sense of empathy. As to why he was angry with her, she could not say. A fighter of his caliber certainly wouldn't take a little cut on the arm personally, would he? Her gut told her it was something very different; as to what was beyond her.

She complied with a nod and jumped down from the window to follow him saying, "He usually does".

After going into the immensely bright hallway, he led her down various passageways that seemed endless in their distance as well as their doors. Finally they came to an all too familiar double door entrance that led to Koenma's office. Upon entering the enormous doors she was met with the same mob scene of ogres running and papers flying in every direction that she remembered from the many times she was brought here. She sighed in annoyance and presided to follow Kurama through the disorganized mass of fumbling ogres and other various demons until finally arriving at the double doors that led to Koenma's office.

She could hear the little squirt shouting at yet another ogre through the door, who apparently messed up on some 'important' papers or something. Kurama gently pushed open one of the double doors as the both of them entered his office. Koenma was in his usual spot behind his desk, which was stacked high with a mountain of papers and other things regarded as 'important'.

She growled in frustration thinking about other things she could be doing right now, rather then be standing here idly in Koenma's office while he busied himself with other matters. Sensing her impulsiveness, Kurama cleared his throat loudly so as to get Koenma's attention, which luckily worked. Koenma peered around the mountain of paperwork to look at the two new comers into his office.

Kurama stepped forward and said, "I have brought Miss Kori as you requested".

Koenma blinked several times before saying, "Yes, yes, of course. Thank you, Kurama. Now you may go. I need to talk to Kori alone".

With that, Kurama nodded and left the room while giving Kori one last cold glare.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The air in the office was so thick with pessimism that anyone other then the two of them would have suffocated easily. Everything was just as Kori remembered it, boring with horrible colored paint on the walls. His desk was set in the middle, which was of course covered with piles upon piles of papers as well as a huge stamp and other office supplies of every sort. Koenma hadn't changed in all the years that had passed since her last visit. He still was the child like ruler that she remembered; who still sucked on a binky that was too big for his small stature. After a few moments of silence, Koenma jumped down from his over sized chair and advanced toward the young girl. He was staring at the floor with his hands behind his back as he stopped only a few feet from her.

He sighed and said, "So, we meet yet again, Kori…". He looked up at her and continued, "…and again under such circumstances."

His eyes were disapproving as if wondering what to exactly do with her. This was of course not her first or, considering her record, her last visit to his office. She sighed defeated and sat down in a vacant seat close by.

"What do you want from me now, Koenma?" she asked already knowing why he wanted to see her.

"You know very well what I want to know", he said in a demanding but cool voice.

"There is apparently a lot you want from me, so your going to have to be more specific then that", she replied in the same tone.

"Don't play games with me, Kori", he said firmly. "Now tell me whom you're working for or it is back to the dungeons, and this time I will personally make sure you can't escape again", he threatened.

She shot him a glare and asked, "What do I get in return for cooperating with you?"

Koenma sighed and replied, "You will be allowed to go free as you were".

She thought about it for a moment and then continued, "I also want my sword and anything else you took from me."

Koenma sighed, "I can give you your weapons, but the stone you took from here has to stay. Its ability to hide your energy while you cross between worlds is sought by a lot of demons. It is not something I can just let you have. You are not above the law, Kori."

"Ch, Fine…" she replied severely irritated.

Nodding his head, Koenma summoned an ogre. "Please bring Miss Kori's weapons only from the vault," he instructed. The ogre left and quickly returned carrying various weapons with great difficulty. He laid them out on a nearby table for inspection.

Kori walked over and examined the horde of instruments. Satisfied with what she saw she removed her cloak and continued.

"I don't know his name, but he lives in a mansion on the southeast edge of the city I was in. He used to be part of the Black Book Club," she said while faceting her possessions to her belt and placing her hidden knives back where they belonged.

He raised his eyebrow as if assuming she wasn't telling him everything she knew. Kori tried to ignore his scrutiny. 'Typical Koenma; he always wants to know every detail of everything that is going on. Then never believes you when you do tell him all you know. Nothing is ever good enough,' she scoffed mentally. Finally, after everything else was where it was suppose to be, she carefully strapped and adjusted her ebony sword to her back.

He turned away and walked over to his desk and sat down. He then picked up a file that was so stuffed with papers that most of them where sticking out of the sides. He held it up and looked at Kori grimly saying, "This file is full of information about a human crime lord who, somehow, gained the powers of an 'A' class demon. He has eluded spirit world's surveillance for over six months. It wasn't until now that we caught a break in the case".

He stopped for a moment to think, giving Kori time to comment, "Yeah. So, what does this have to do with me?"

Koenma cleared his throat before continuing, "I think that the man who commissioned you to get this particular artifact is the one we are looking for. What the artifact does, when used correctly, is cause the Makai Barrier that kept high-class demons from entering the human world to reset itself allowing a momentary opening to occur. It will only last for a few minutes but it will allow any demon of any class to cross over into the human world".

"I knew that," she retorted. "But why does it matter if there is no longer a barrier net to contain them? If there is now peace in Demon world then so what if some human has the power to reset a non existent barrier?" She asked.

He turned his chair from her and was lost in thought. Knowing she was asking the right question, Kori took her seat again in silence while Koenma gathered his reasoning.

'If she knows the truth, would it convince her to give me the information needed to close this case? Then again if I lie to her there is a risk that it would drive an even deeper wedge between us.' he thought carefully. 'She is too unpredictable. I guess I won't know until I try with the truth'

Taking a long, deep breath, Koenma prepared to tell her what he knew about the situation. "To answer that, this conversation must not leave this room. Not even my detectives, save Kurama, know what is at stake. The only reason he knows is because he saw through what I was telling the others, as he always does, and confronted me privately just before I sent him to get you. As of right now this is considered top secret" He said in a very serious tone continuing to look away from her.

Not expecting him to answer in such a way, she agreed to not breathe a word of this conversation. 'There is a lot more too this then I was initially told' she thought angrily.

After a few minutes of silence Koenma began. "There may be peace in most of the Makai now because of the new Demon King's order and power but not all of the beings of that world are concurring with it. With permission and cooperation from the King we have set up a new Makai Barrier in the lower parts of demon world to contain the most dangerous beasts to ever breath the Makai air. We have reason to believe that the one responsible for commissioning you has been communicating with these demons to orchestrate a mass invasion of both worlds," he concluded in a solemn and tired voice. "I was hopping you could give me more information on him so we could confirm that this is the one we are after and to stop this from happening."

Kori thought for a minute, soaking in everything Koenma had said. 'How can this be? There was no danger, there wasn't. This was supposed to be the simplest of jobs. How could this have been going on right under my notice? How could I have been so blind to his intentions? Is this even true? There have been other instances where Koenma's information was not as accurate as first thought' she concluded. 'I will just have to find out for myself…'

Then she stood up and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't have any further information for you, but I can tell you this. From what I have seen of him, which wasn't much, I can confirm that he is the one you are looking for." Turning from him she continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to". She walked towards the door only to be stopped by Koenma's voice as soon as she touched the door knob.

"I would actually prefer it if you stayed here. I have a feeling that this new information was not what he told you," he said. "If memory serves me correctly, you have difficulties being lied to, especially when it comes to a job…" his voice trailed off as he prepared to take responsibility for what he was using against her.

Her fist clenched around the door knob, contorting its summitry. She took a deep breath. Letting go of the now mass of metal she faced the one responsible for the source of her pain. "Bringing up the past and reminding me why I do not take your orders is not a very wise way of getting me to do what you want," she said in an even voice. She turned away, holding back the memories that attempted to flood her mind. She refused to remember his face; his eyes. 'Kenshie…'

"No it is not, but it was not the situation I was referring to, but the outcome. You must live. I promised him" he said in a sad voice. "Letting you go out and enact your revenge on this guy is not keeping my promise".

"It is however, keeping mine. The promise I made when…" She couldn't finish the sentence. "I promised that I would not let something like that happen again. I would not be dictated by lies to do another's biding. I would, from that day on, choose what path I was to take." Kori stated almost empty of emotion.

"I still have to insist. You know what is going on now. You are no longer a puppet at his disposal. Make the right choice and stay here. Let my detectives handle it," Koenma pleaded.

"Why is it that both of you protect me so?" her voice started to crack. "He… is gone now and is still trying to shield me. From my understanding, his… final wish was that I was to live. Why?" she ended regaining her composure.

Koenma looked at her straight in the eye and replied, "You have asked me this before and you already know the answer."

"Right, you are not permitted to reveal the destinies of those who are still living. We must find our path through that which has been foretold." She quoted angrily. "I will not be run by fate. I create my own destiny," she continued. "I don't care what the two of you believe about me, but I will not be controlled by it." With that she turned for the door again. She was sad that her grip had not damaged the door knob to the point of not working. She most desperately wanted to smash down the door to get out of the office.

"Kori…" Koenma called but it was too late. She was gone from the room with not even a look over her shoulder.

A few minutes later Kurama stepped it to the room, his green eyes contorted in anger that he hide from his voice. "Is it wise to let her go like this?" he asked.

Koenma replied, "I am honestly no sure. She represents no more danger to the investigation save the fact that she might get herself killed trying to mend what she has done. Now that she knows the whole truth, she is a bit sore about being used by that crime lord," he concluded too lost in thought to notice Kurama's sudden and brief look of astonishment.

'She had no idea what the crime lord was up to? No, she is intelligent enough to know that much, but was probably unaware of the new barrier net that has been set up in the Makai', Kurama thought realizing his anger was misplaced. 'Whatever is between Koenma and Kori, the trust he has is not misplaced. There is more to her then meets the eye…'

"Kurama, I need you to rally Yusuke and Kuwabara and find this crime lord's mansion. Kori told me it was in the southeast region of Yusuke's city. We need to orchestrate an arrest as soon as possible, tomorrow at the latest." He demanded.

Kurama bowed slightly and replied, "Kuwabara is still healing from our previous encounter with Kori. It would be wise to allow him to rest before another mission."

"With at least Yusuke more then capable of taking care of this, there is no need for Kuwabara to fight. It would be faster, however, to find the mansion with his spiritual awareness. I also want you to go so I can be assured that the situation can be controlled. I know how Yusuke can get out of hand and forget what he is really there for. There is no room for mistakes. You know what is at stake," Koenma concluded.

Kurama nodded and left the room. 'What is it that makes him want her protected so completely? From what I have seen of her abilities she is at least capable of fighting a demon of that level. Koenma was blatantly adamant about us taking care of this situation before she does. What is he hiding about her?' he thought as he made his way down the corridor.

Just after sunrise the following morning, in a mansion outside of a familiar city, a figure dressed in a black cloak walked silently through the front door and asked to see the master of the house. The guard nodded nervously and rushed away down a maze of hallways leaving the hooded figure to stand and wait for him to arrive back.

A tall man dressed in a completely black suit with black hair and icy blue eyes, stood in a dark room holding a glass of red wine. He looked longingly upon a wall of T.V. screens that could only capture the dark figures outline against the white walls. Knowing exactly who it was, he smiled at the thought of entertaining such a luscious guest.

A few minutes later the guard knocked on the door and entered. "Sir, she has returned."

A small sadistic grin swept across the masters lips. "Ah, yes. My little morsel has come back to me. Show her in."

The guard bowed in respect and left to retrieve the guest. The Master smiled to himself as he took a long drink of his glass to calm his anticipation. She soon arrived and entered the room as silently as before and removed her hood to face the man. He glanced over at her only to be met by the most stunning set of hazel eyes he had ever seen.

"I have been waiting for your return, Kori", he said with a smirk.


	5. Chapter 5

"Damn it…" groaned Yusuke, "It's too early to be so serious…" He was walking irritatingly to school while Kurama kept step next to him.

"I'm afraid that Koenma is eager to finish this case as soon as possible. He was very clear that it was to be addressed no later then the end of the day," Kurama said in an urgent voice. They were very near Yusuke' school and time was running short.

"Trust me, I would much rather run off and save the world again. Another day in this place and I'll go crazy," said Yusuke in an aggressive tone. "As it is, I can't miss a day of school if I actually want to get out of it. I'll be damned if I have to stay there any longer"

Kurama smiled. "…and you promised Keiko that you wouldn't be a middle school drop out…," he said teasingly.

Yusuke scoffed in irritation but didn't say anything knowing full well that no matter what he said in his defense Kurama was still right. 'Stupid school, stupid Keiko…' he thought as he vented his anger. 'They probably won't even let me graduate even if I pass the final exams. Good thing I started my "Problem Solving" business. Now it won't matter if I don't go to High School.'

"How is Kuwabara doing with his injuries?" Kurama inquired bring Yusuke back from his thoughts.

"Alright, I guess. Thanks to Boton's healing abilities he should be able to come to school today. He has survived worse then that…" he said in a humored voice as he remembered the past. "Guess it's a good thing she still hangs around us even though I 'm not a spirit detective anymore. Kuwabara would have been in bed for a week."

Kurama nodded. "Considering how reckless he is I am surprised he was not injured further. She could have killed him," he said in an awed tone. 'Looks like she really is not the villain I made her out to be last night,' he added to himself so as to not entice Yusuke into asking unnecessary questions. He had to keep what he knew about this entire ordeal a secret. Of what he knew of Yusuke's personality he would want to fix the problem at its source in the Makai. No angry demons, no new barrier net. Kurama knew that Yusuke would not consider the consequences of his actions. It was best to just leave him in the dark for the time being.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" a loud, obnoxious voice bellowed from behind them. Kuwabara was walking over to them, hobbling from his injuries. "Hey Kurama, what are you still doing at our school?" he asked bewildered. "Is there someone else you wanted to check for?"

"Not entirely…" Kurama began. "Koenma has another job for Yusuke and wants you to help out if you are able."

"I am 100% fine! I can do what ever Koenma thinks Yusuke can do!" Kuwabara gloated as he held back a whimper of pain from his still swore ribs.

"If you say so…" Kurama said noticing the slight change in his features, "I'll be by after school to give you the details."

"Sure thing…", said Yusuke dryly. With that Kurama disappeared in an instant seeing as he had to be at school himself.

Kuwabara turned to Yusuke and asked, "So what is all of this about anyways?"

"Not really sure, honestly…Koenma wants to dictate what I do again. Something new in the case," replied Yusuke dismissively putting his hands behind his head and continuing towards the school gates.

"Your new "Problem Solving" business must be booming if Koenma is even giving you jobs," Kuwabara said in awe.

Yusuke shrugged, "Not really. Koenma is not really a customer. My revamping of the powers in the Makai left a few bumps in the road." He continued, "I sort of feel responsible for leveling them out, you know?"

"So you finally know what it is like to be a man, huh? Keiko would be so proud!" gloated Kuwabara as he gabbed Yusuke in a straggle hold and proceeded to rub his head.

"Hey! Mess up my hair and I'll kill you, you bastard!" yelled Yusuke in protest. Kuwabara just continued dragging Yusuke along towards the school as the first bell rang.

* * *

'Drip… Drip…' The slashing of water echoed through the dark room as it trickled to the stone floor. The sound soon began to stir the soul inhabitant. Chains clanked and scraped the floor as Kori pulled herself up in to a sitting position. She looked around the nearly pitch black room but was not able to see anything other then the rock wall she was chained to. Rubbing her head, she tried to remember the happenings that lead to her confinement in what she could only make out as a dungeon. 'I entered the wannabe Demon's house to confront him about his plans…' she thought as she put the pieces together. 'I was led in to a room where he was watching monitors. I challenged him to a fight for his insolent use of me. He came at me…grinning…' She struggled with the memory.

Just then she could hear the soft foot falls of someone coming towards her. They echoed through the endless darkness growing louder till they stopped just out of sight. The rustling of clothing took over the silence; the tapping of something padded, then a small flame irrupted lighting up like a blinding sun. The new comer brought the flame to his mouth to light the cigarette he had pressed between his lips. The demon took a long drag from it and exhaled slowly eying Kori meticulously.

Rage flooded her mind as Kori launched herself forward with all the speed she could muster in her weakened state only to be pulled back by the chains clasped around her wrists. She fought with all her strength but they would not give like they should have.

The demon chuckled in amusement at her display. "I see you're up and energetic my sweet…" he began, "I don't believe we have been properly introduced. I am Satzu Imura". He bowed slightly smirking at Kori's rage induced glare.

'What is this bastard getting at? 'My Sweet?' my ass…' she thought. He inclined his head so as to hint that she should continue the introductions. She had no intention of playing in to his foolish game.

"Why have you brought me here? What do you want with me?", she demanded continuing to fight against her restraints.

He was less then amused with her response. He grabbed her chin and held it an inch from his lips. She couldn't fight back. He was just too strong. 'The reports about him being an A class demon were wrong…' she thought. 'I would have been able to take him if he was. He has to be at least a S class'. She struggled against his grip.

Becoming excited with her struggling, he leaned closer and breathed in her sent. She tried to pull away but to no avail. "That is not the proper way to introduce yourself to your new master…" he smiled widely at this and continued, "You need to be taught some manners, my sweet".

With that the pain came. Everywhere throughout her body screamed in agony. Literally screamed, the sound echoed around her mind ravaging her ears. Every inch, every cell was on fire. To her, it felt like an eternity before he let her go, but only a minute had passed. It was then she realized that it wasn't her hearing the screaming from within her, but her own voice screeching through the room. It was the first time she had ever heard her own voice cry out in anguish.

Her breath was desperate and heavy as she collapsed exhausted on to the cold floor. It was almost welcomed after the fire. Her mind was swimming; still tasting the pain.

"Now, how do we introduce ourselves?" he asked in a dark voice.

She was too far gone to care what came out of her mouth. "My name… is… Kori…", she breathed. A single tear escaped as she said her name, she knew she had been beaten.

"Well then Kori, my sweet, I hope you enjoy your stay here for it will be of some duration" he cooed to her. With that, he turned and walked back into the darkness. "Take her…" was all she heard as unconsciousness found her.

* * *

The bell rang for the final time signaling the end of classes. Yusuke strolled casually out of the building and made his way to the front gates where Kurama was leaning against the wall in anticipation. Kuwabara followed a few minutes later no longer limping from his injuries.

"So what are we doing today Kurama?" Kuwabara asked excitedly as he flexed his arms and stretched his legs.

"Well. I am sure you all remember Kori from the other night?" began Kurama until Kuwabara interrupted.

"Uh, don't remind me! I thought I was dead…" complained Kuwabara as he grimaced at the memory.

"Yes, well…I am sure we are all regretting underestimating her," he said as he rubbed his arm. "However, her capture enabled us to gain information on the person of whom hired her to steal the artifact. He resides in a mansion on the southeast part of town. Koenma has instructed us to find the place and capture him anyway possible," Kurama finished.

"Capture him? How do we even know what she is saying is true?" Yusuke questioned, "She could have been lying to save her own skin."

"I don't think that's the case," replied Kurama trying to avoid giving too much away.

"And how would you know?" pressed Yusuke, "Didn't think you were on intimate and trusting terms with our little thief."

"Please do not read too much in to my assertion," smoothed Kurama. "I merely have a hunch based on her past actions."

Yusuke raised his eye brow not convinced.

"Her attack on Kuwabara for instance…" began Kurama again, "She could have killed him and taken advantage of our underestimation. Instead she ran." He paused for a moment in thought. "I do not believe her to be our enemy," he said more to himself then his company.

Yusuke just shrugged, "Yeah, whatever. I still don't trust her…"

Kuwabara interrupted. "Yeah, neither do I. There is a good chance she was just faking so we would trust anything she said and get out of trouble". He crossed his arms stubbornly.

Kurama smiled and said, "Well, either way the truth will come out in the end," he paused again deep in thought. "I guess we should, however, be on our way. The day is running short and our target may evade us if we do not hurry."

With that they all quickly left the school and headed towards the southeast end of town.

* * *

The wind was quiet and the sun warm against his skin. The day passed with little interest to his mind. All that succumbed in his world was the past of which plagued him and the tree he had spent the day in. Hiei looked out on to the wilderness that surrounded the all too familiar city. The air was clean and fresh with the sent of pine and moss.

'Too clean…', he thought. 'The rotting air of Demon world suited this place when the tunnel was carved open by Sensui…' He missed the world he came from, not for it being his home but rather for it being freedom. In the past he would wander and fight at will. His sword would be bathed in blood and he would revel in it. Now things were very different.

He use to work as a border supervisor between the worlds. Positions like this were being created to prevent humans wandering in to the Makai. He, however, found it not to his taste. He would have rather run free again; in the night. Like the night he met the thief, though he did not know that she was being tracked by Yusuke. She still knew freedom; she was still running through the night. When she challenged him for his stones, he accepted not because of her caliber as a fighter, for she was far bellow his stature, but because he wanted to taste that freedom once again. And he did.

Only one thought ran through his mind as he allowed his body to react; to defeat his target. There were no rules, no witnesses, and no authority to go against. Just him and his object; his sister's and his tear gems the girl possessed. She insisted on fighting for them, as if she had nothing more to live for: As if fighting was what kept her going. He was fascinated. He had no idea why, but the fact that she still lived that way when things had changed so much in his world was exceedingly interesting. So he attacked, from behind, yes, but he knew she would feel him coming and turn. And so she did, much quicker then he expected. His clothes showed evidence of that.

This only intrigued him further. 'Who was she?', he had thought. He had no recollection of someone with her fighting style in any stories he had heard. He had then noticed something else peculiar about her. He hit her hard and she fell indenting the ground. He had pinned her instead of finishing her. He was surprised of this action. He did not want to kill her. He was far too curious as to how someone who was harboring so much power could be beaten to easily in his weakened state.

He had been training hard in the mountains of the Makai. For weeks he had trained day and night with no rest. He had set his gems aside in a secluded cave just before the last grueling step of his endeavor for more power only to find them missing upon his return. He searched only a few seconds with his third eye before finding their captor. Death did not suit the demon well enough. Hiei felt that tracking, chasing and torturing him slowly far suited his crime. He ended up driving him, instead, to a quick death at the hands of the girl.

She was so weak compared to what he felt from her. She could level the worlds with what was within her, but she was barely able to keep him at bay for a few minutes before he hit her to the ground. As he pinned her down her struggling amused him more then it should have. It felt to him that she was throwing the match for some inward reason, but had no knowledge of it or of the fact that she could have destroyed him with a wink. So he laughed internally at her ignorance and at himself for being so ridiculous. As he let her up another observation crossed his mind. She had no discernible energy. It was spiritual energy, but not the kind humans possessed. It was a kind entirely new and powerful. He had no idea who or what she was. At first sight she was a demon, but a deeper look told that she was nothing of the sort.

He asked her name. "It's Kori. What's yours?" she had said lightly. He didn't want to answer that. Finding out what she was, was one thing, but he had no intention of letting her know who he was. She protested and he rethought his conclusion. He decided it wouldn't hurt for her to know his name, but nothing else. He answered her and left as fast as he could.

The next time he saw her, he was knocking her out with the hilt of his katana. He remembered thinking as he looked at her unconscious body on the ground, how someone so powerful could be so weak. It baffled him. Koenma called for him after she was released. He asked him if he could keep an eye on her for a while as a precaution. He was not entirely certain of her honesty with the case, so Koenma asked him to watch out for anything strange that involved Kori.

Hiei was not very happy with babysitting. He felt he had rested enough and wanted to continue his training in the Makai. It was the only thing keeping his thoughts from wandering to darker places in his subconscious. So he contented himself with wandering the human world for the time being. Watching the girl was very low on his list of priorities, but at least he was no longer doing those odious patrols.

It was then that he caught the sent of blood. It dragged him from his thoughts and tensed his muscles. He knew the scent better then he would ever admit. It was Kori's blood and he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The work for the day was done, now all he had to do was wait. Koenma sat in his oversized chair reminiscing over the situation with his charge. 'Kori was never one to follow orders and I have gone for months not knowing what happened to her. This, however, is different. She could be in trouble for all I know…' he thought uneasily.

He tried to find her on his monitor, but there was some interference coming from a strong barrier, blocking her from view. 'This is not good; Yusuke should have at least found the compound by now.' Just then someone approached him; it was Ogre wearing his usual leopard skin loin cloth.

"Uh, Koenma, Sir?" he said timidly.

"Yes, what is it, Ogre?" he snapped.

"It seems that there has been a violation of the Spirit Interference Act from our side, sir" he said carefully.

"And why is it important to tell me when we have a whole department to deal with the infractions?" he asked irritably.

"Well, yes Sir, but this is a different situation" Ogre hesitated.

"Out with it! I haven't got all day!" Koenma retorted.

"Well, Sir. It wasn't from just any spirit. It was from Kenshie…" he finished in a tone of urgency.

Not believing him, Koenma grabbed the folder Ogre was holding and began to read the report. It was true. It seemed Kenshie used his spiritual influence to contact someone in the human world. It was just the influence of a familiar scent but it was enough to have a report filled on it. Koenma considered what this could mean. 'Could it have happened? After all this time…?' He thought for a moment. 'Could he have finally chosen a new protector to take his place?' He was lost in his thoughts.

"Uh… Koenma, Sir?" Ogre asked confused.

"Ogre, have the occurrence monitored for now and keep me up to date on any other infractions. Is that understood?" he finished in an urgent voice.

"Yes, Sir!" was his answer as he rushed out of the room.

"Looks like things are going to be coming to a close soon. I just hope we are prepared for it…" he said to himself as he tried his monitor one last time.

* * *

It was dusk before he found the place where the scent of blood had arisen from. It was a mansion deep in the forest that was heavily guarded with not only low class demons posing as humans but also a barrier. It kept energy signatures from being detected from within. He would not have noticed it if it wasn't for the blood. It wasn't really that much blood, but the potency was drawing. She truly was nothing human or demon.

Now that he found the source of her scent, what was he to do now? Was she even in trouble? Why would he waste his time to save her if she was? She probably put herself in this situation in the first place. He sat down on the branch he was perched on to consider why he was even there. Something inside him pulled him to this spot, but why? He could not explain it. An echo within his head whispered, 'She must live…'; it was not his voice.

Just then he heard her scream in utter agony. It pierced the coming night like lightning. 'She is in trouble…' he thought. But why should he care? What was she to him but an annoyance? He thought about it. His curiosity about what she was still burned inside of him. 'She is different, I'll giver her that. But what is her purpose for existence? Why is something like her roaming the worlds?' Then the voice within his head returned, 'Please… She must live…' it pleaded. He growled in frustration. Who wanted him to save her so badly, is what she is that important? He felt like he asked the right question, because his drive to advance intensified.

He looked around at the patrolling demons, 'Easy enough…' He jumped down to a secluded area and examined the barrier. 'That will be a bit of a problem, but not impossible…' He then considered what could be holding and torturing her here. 'She is not as strong as I am, but she is also not useless. Who ever it is that has her is not a weakling.'

He began to focus his energy and to push it towards the barrier. It was strong but he won against stronger thinking back to the Dark Tournament. He summoned more energy into his hands and intensified his force against the invisible wall. Sparks of lightning began to erupt. 'Better make this quick, or else I'll alert them to my presence too soon.' He thought as he pushed even harder against the fortification. It started to buckle, 'Just a bit more…' His muscles tensed, his feet pressed into the ground, but he was winning. The barrier broke and revealed what was inside.

He was right about the guards, all low class demons, but there was something else, something bigger. He darted as fast as he could to another gathering of trees within the compound so as to ascertain the situation better. The energy was potent but hidden. He could sense something was there but had no idea how powerful it was. He could tell it was demon energy, but it was more like a cloud that hovered over the place rather then a solid form. He stretched his senses farther and it hit him. This energy, this being was stronger then even Yusuke and defiantly more then he has done by himself. 'I am not even sure I can win this one easily…' he admitted bitterly. 'That fact has never stopped me before, nor will it…' With that he jumped down and advanced towards the horde of demons looking for him.

* * *

The pain was still there, even after her long sleep. It played around her mind like a parasite, bringing the memory up from the depths. Her body felt as if hundreds of thousands of small pins were being inserted slowly into her skin, but that is not what alarmed her. She couldn't move. Her hands would not respond to her commands. Becoming more conscious of her captive state, Kori realized that her arms were bound to the post of a large bed. Attempting to move her legs, she found that they were tied together firmly. She tried to free herself but to no avail, she was caught and trapped.

The room was scarcely lit by candles placed on holders along the walls, tables and floor pillars. The faint light flickered across the stone walls and glistening and polished furniture. Everything was ornate and grand as if made to please the eye of an emperor, but Kori cared not for these things. She knew she was beaten and vulnerable. There was only one other time before this that she felt like this and it was a friend that saved her. He was gone now and she knew she would join him soon if she could help it. His face flash in her mind, his violet eyes, his silver hair, his calm face, 'Kenshie…', she thought as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She turned on her side and pressed her face into the softness of the bed and lost herself in her despair. All was gone and helpless in her soul, except the will to die. She refused to live as someone's slave.

As her mind began to wander amongst her impending death, the sound of a door quietly shutting and foot falls on deep carpet entered the room. A shadow, large and black, flickered with the lights against the walls as it approached the bed. A weight slowly applied itself to the other side of the large mattress and advanced towards her. She closed her eyes tight and tried to pull her knees and arms as close to her chest as possible; she knew what would be next and she would rather die. The large body of her captor, Satzu Imura, lay just a few inches from hers. He rested his head against his arm as he examined the small form of his new pet. A cold breath appeared on her neck and breathed in her scent. Her body shivered in disgust as she turned as far away from him as she could.

His mouth was at her ear, "Now, is that a way to greet me?" Satzu whispered. "Do we remember what happens when I am made unhappy?" he continued wrapping his hand around her throat and pulling her face to meet his. Nuzzling her check with his nose he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him, crushed her back against his chest.

"You are mine now, to do with as I wish. You had better get use to it or there will be consequences". With that the pain came again. Her screams echoed through and around the walls penetrating even the mortar between the stones. As far as she knew her body was being ripped apart molecule by molecule all at once. It didn't last as long as the first time. He stopped just after a few seconds. Her voice was nothing but a whimper now.

"I do not delight in harming you, my Sweet…" he cooed as he outlined the contours of her neck with his nose and lips. "… though your voice is music to my ears. You will, however, be broken and will eventually submit to me willingly." He finished with a light chuckle in her ear.

What could she do? He was too strong and was not going to kill her if he could help it. 'I need to get out of this, or else…' she could not finish the thought. 'This can't be it…' Kori tried to struggle, to pull away from him to have room to try something, anything to break free, but her strength was gone.

Satzu's arm tightened around her waist, twisting her body towards him. He leaned over placing his body on top of her and pushed his torso against hers pinning her down. His lips found her other ear, his throat emanated a growl, deep and low. "I will not tolerate disobedience. I am warning you now, don't do that again…" his voice trailed off in a snarl. She was paralyzed, with fear, terror or self perseverance she did not know. Her mind was blank and her limbs were numb. 'There is nothing I can do…' she thought defeated. She shut her eyes and waited as he pulled her closer and contorted his body on top of her. His breath was on her face and neck, his hands were everywhere else. She couldn't breath. 'This is the end…' she thought bitterly.

Just then a sound emerged from the direction of the door. An alarm of sorts it what it sounded like. Satzu's hands stopped moving and his breath caught in his throat. He pulled away from her and faced the door. There was a light knock and his body was gone from hers. She could breath and her mind became clear. A servant was at the door with urgent information for the Master. She heard only a few words of the conversation, "Intruder", "fast approaching" and "Powerful", was all she could make out. This could be her chance to get out, but her strength was still gone. She tried the struggle out of the bonds but it was all in vain. Satzu was at her side again.

Her breath and heart stopped as he whispered in her ear, "I am afraid duty calls me away from you my Sweet. Do try to be patient and await my return with earnest for I shall not be long". He growled the last words as his form disappeared from the room, sealing the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The forest was darkening into twilight, as Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama arrived in the alleged vicinity of the Demon's stronghold. The trees were quiet of wind and the animals were no where to be seen or heard. It was complete silence aside from group approaching. Life seemed to be drained from the surrounding area. The trees and plants grew darker as if the air itself seemed to become potent with the invisible, poisoned aura.

'The air is stifling…' thought Kurama as he entered the area just behind the others.

"Come on, Kuwabara! Turn on your head and find this place already so I can finally get some action!" demanded Yusuke as he followed Kuwabara down a less then dependent path.

"I'm trying, ok!" groaned Kuwabara. "It's not as easy as it looks! This Demon must be masking his energy or something, cuz I can't get anything…" he finish tapping his head.

"What good was it to bring you in the first place then!" argued Yusuke. "Your hobbling slowed us down and now you can't even find the stupid Demon!"

"Hey! At least I am doing something other then being a stupid tag along who whines like a mule!" answered Kuwabara pointing at Yusuke. "Not like your puny Spiritual Awareness could find them without me anyways!"

"What was that!" yelled Yusuke as he balled up his fists ready to strike.

"That's enough you two…" said Kurama softly. "Arguing like that is not going to find our foe. We need to figure out another way of tracking them if we are going to succeed…" he finished as Yusuke and Kuwabara huffed and turned from each other. 'How else can we find someone who is hiding their power so completely?' he thought to himself.

"Let's hurry up and keep looking. This place is giving me the creeps…" said Kuwabara looking around at the darkening trees.

"What? Afraid of being in the woods at night?" taunted Yusuke.

"Hey! That's not what I mean!" defended Kuwabara.

"Right!" Yusuke teased.

"No. You are on to something Kuwabara" Kurama interrupted, confusing the others.

"What do you mean, Kurama?" asked Yusuke becoming serious again.

"It seems darker here then it should at this time. The air is not moving and there is not even an insect in sight. Something in this area is not supposed to be…" Kurama finished while looking around.

Yusuke looked around carefully agreeing with his companion. 'Damn… He's right. Something isn't right here…' he thought.

Kuwabara concentrated even harder then before to find the source of what was making him uneasy. Just then there was a power surge emanating just a few miles away. It was like it was fighting against a wall. Then, the wall broke, just for an instant. It revealed what was inside right before repairing itself. All was still again except for Kuwabara's mind. The power inside the wall was massive. 'It's like a void of energy… It feels like it never ends…' he thought to himself.

"What is it? Did you find something?" asked Yusuke looking at the suddenly distraught face of his rival.

"It's… It's… Massive" was all Kuwabara could get out of his mouth. His body was shaking and his mind was racing. 'How could I have missed that?' he thought erratically. "A wall…" he put together what he had felt.

"A wall?" asked Yusuke even more confused.

Kurama was looking intently at Kuwabara. He thought he had felt something a few miles away, but it disappeared before he could read what he was feeling. 'Kuwabara's senses must be getting stronger' Kurama thought to himself.

"Yeah…" answered Kuwabara, "There is a wall, an invisible one. Well, more like a bubble or a dome maybe…" he thought hard for a second before continuing. "Anyways, It's hiding something big. Bigger then anything we have ever seen before…" he finished looking grave.

"Really? Guess I am just going to have to test that!" said Yusuke punching his fist into his hand in excitement.

"No, Yusuke. If Kuwabara is even half right, we need to use caution. There is more to this then meets the eye," said Kurama as he lost himself in his thoughts.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Yusuke.

"What was the intelligence of the Demon we received from Koenma?" asked Kurama trying to cover his slight blunder that could possibly interest Yusuke into asking unnecessary questions.

"Umm… that he was an 'A' class demon who recruited that thief of ours to steal some artifact that would give him more power, or something like that…" answered Yusuke not really caring if he was right.

"From the description Kuwabara has given from what he sensed, we can safely say that this is more then an 'A' class demon. Only 'S' class and above can erect a wall of that sort that can hide their energy completely" Kurama finished hoping he got his point across.

"So it still stands that we need to find this Demon and kick his ass before he does anymore damage, am I right?" inquired Yusuke.

"Well, in layman's terms, I guess that is correct, but I still suggest caution. We have no idea what we are up against, since we now can't rely on the intelligence Koenma gave us" said Kurama.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Caution… Right…" said Yusuke, brushing off Kurama's warnings. "Which direction did you sense the energy in, Kuwabara?" asked Yusuke eagerly.

"Umm…" Kuwabara thought hard. "That way…" he said pointing south.

"Alright guys! Let's go! Can't wait around all day and let him get away again!" said Yusuke as he jumped into a run towards the barrier.

"Yusuke, we must think this through before acting or we could all risk our lives needlessly!" yelled Kurama as he pursued he hot headed friend.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!" called Kuwabara as he ran, hobbling after his companions.

* * *

The first set of guards was easily disposed of. A swift run through was all that was needed and they never rose again. Their bodies lay slain; the smell of demon blood filled the air and stained the grass. But he was not here to destroy these weaklings, he had a mission. He entered a pair of splintered doors into a large hallway. 'I have to find her first…' was his only thought. Hiei had no idea why he needed to bring her to safety so badly, but the urge to do so was over powering.

'I will find out why she is so important, or I swear I will kill her myself… Not many are worth this much trouble…' was his thought while he took out another group of guards.

An alarm began to sound making him stop in his tracks. 'I better keep a lower profile. Things will be easier if I find her first and then rid this place of its goons and its master' he thought continuing to search for her energy with his mind. Hallways and doors flew by as he kept to the shadows; searching.

The cloud of energy began to shift suddenly. It became more concentrated as if it was being absorbed by some sort of force. The power of it was nearly immeasurable by his senses. 'This energy is nearing the limit of even the Demon Gods of the Makai. How is that possible? It's as if there is no end to it…' Hiei thought as he now became uneasy about his chances about taking it on.

The energy of this Demon was too potent for him to locate Kori's aura this close. He would have to use his third eye to find her, but if he did the energy signature he would give off would make him easier to find and he didn't want to be found yet. 'How can I find her without it?' he asked himself as he thought about the times he encountered her.

The hallway flying by melted away and her determined face came to his mind as she tried to fight him on equal ground the first time. Her eyes flashed with excitement and the will to defeat him. He almost smiled as he thought about how hard she tried fighting against a more powerful foe with no hope of winning. He knew now it was the fight that drew her and not the prize she held in her possession. But how were these memories going to help him find her? He thought harder, 'Her energy is different, but not unlike Demon energy… But also not unlike Spiritual energy…' The two energies were on different wave lengths so that they can be easily distinguished. 'How can I use that to my advantage?'

Then it hit him. He was going about it the wrong way. Her energy was like the other two but had something different about it. It was the existence of a different wave length all together; a different sort of energy. He didn't realize this till now because the presence of it was very subtle and hard to remember. It was this energy that led him to sense the deeper energy inside of her which over powered anything else his senses detected.

'How could I have forgotten that?' he scolded himself. He jumped up into an opening in the ceiling that was hidden by shadows and began to concentrate on locating the extra energy he remembered from his first encounter with the girl. Pushing out his senses, he scanned the vicinity nearest to him and found nothing. Frustrated he pushed out as far as he could and still there was nothing. He knew she was here but where? Sighing he relaxed and gave it one last try. Suddenly, it was there; small but there. It wasn't too far away either. Before he could think about his next move his muscles contracted and he was off with blinding speed.

* * *

It felt like hours that she laid there on the over sized bed with her knees to her chest and her arms raw from trying to free herself from her bindings. Kori had all but given up on her predicament. 'I still have time…' she thought as she continued to pull and wrench at her bindings. Her arms protested with pain and blood, but it was nothing like the fiery touch of her captor. She bore it with eagerness as she continued to try to get free. More of her strength was leaving her, being sucked out for some reason. Her struggling became weaker and weaker until she was unable to even lift her elbow in protest of her trapped arms. Her eyes were starting to shut slowly. Her weariness was beginning to over power her will. All her body wanted to do was to enter a deep and satisfying slumber, but her mind concentrated on her situation.

'Why can't I get out of this?' she thought bitterly to herself. 'Why am I so weak?' She demanded, but had no answer. She balled herself up as tightly as she could as she fought the sleep her body craved. 'There has to be a way out of this… I can't let him… have me…' she concluded in disgust. Her body shivered. It was getting harder to stay awake; she could no longer move her feet and legs; they were paralyzed with the stiffness of unconsciousness.

'I'm so… tired…' she thought as the candles began to die away. Darkness soon defiled her dungeon, save one candle just above her. She began drifting off to an unsettled slumber in her new abode as the shadows seeped into her mind. They became like dark water clinging to her psyche, submersing her into oblivion.

It felt like hours but minutes had only passed when a sound came into the room. It was the door gently closing shut. Quick footsteps passed the distance to the bed and a weight applied itself to the opposite side.

Her body was paralyzed from stiffness and her mind was swimming in exhaustion. 'This is it…' she thought, 'I can't fight anymore…' Just then warm hands embraced her, turning her body to face their owner. The last image she saw was a familiar pair of brilliant, crimson eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

'Click… Click' amongst the frizzing of a blank screen was all that was heard in the nearly empty room. Koenma was trying everything he could to bring up any image of the situation, but it was no use. The energy readings were too large for any clear picture to be displayed. This worried him far more then not being able to see anything. If it was just a glitch in the system then he would not have thought much of the situation feeling that his old detective would be fine like he always is. However, the situation developed in a way that he never would have imagined.

'If this doesn't unravel soon then the Living World and the Demon World are in far greater peril then originally anticipated…' he thought as he continued to bang on his remote. Just then Ogre rushed into the room holding some papers with great care. He waited for Koenma to realize his presence but was initially ignored through Koenma's desperate plight to get the screen working.

"Um, Koenma, Sir." He said slowly.

"What is it now?" Koenma snapped still concentrating on his task.

"Well, Sir. I have the latest report on the infractions of the Spiritual Interference Act you requested us to keep an eye on." He finished handing the paperwork over. "It seems that Kenshie is continuing to communicate with the living world… increasingly."

"I see… Have you pinpointed who he is talking to yet?" Koenma asked finally abandoning his endeavor for the moment.

"About that… it's in the report…" answered Ogre.

Looking long at the report, Koenma had to reread it a few times to make sure that he was seeing it correctly. 'This can't be right… Of all people and demons he could have chosen… What is he thinking!' thought Koenma as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

"You can attest to the fact that this report has not been tampered with in any way?" He asked Ogre.

"Yes, Koenma Sir. I came as soon as it was printed from the Spiritual Investigation Bureau, which I witnessed personally. I am afraid that there is no mistake" Ogre insisted timidly.

Koenma read the report thoroughly, not really believing what he was reading. 'Hiei… of all the people he could choose… Hiei…'

"Shall we put an end to the infractions, Koenma Sir?" asked Ogre.

"No…" Koenma said simply.

"Are you sure, Koenma Sir? This is Hiei we are talking about…" he continued.

"We are also talking about Kenshie. I know he would not make a move like this unless he was sure it was the right one to make. I have no idea what is going on out there…"he continued looking at his blank screen. "… We are going to have to trust his judgment for now, even if it is Hiei he has chosen."

"If you say so, Koenma Sir…" sighed Ogre defeated. 'I just hope he doesn't decide to turn bad again and kill us all…' he thought to himself.

* * *

Her body was limp but responsive when he touched her. Hiei turned her body over only to find her less then half conscious. He reached over and pulled off her bindings with little difficulty and then reached down to her legs. It was then that he noticed she was not wearing much. He imagined that what was there she probably wore under her clothing as he remembered her attire during their battle. He thought this peculiar till he realized what the situation told him and felt further disgusted. He remembered the stories he heard of Mukuro during her captivity in her younger years. Before she died, she had told him once of the horrors she lived through so many eons ago. He took off his cloak and wrapped her body in it and then pulled her on to his back letting her arms dangle over his shoulders and her head rest on the back of his neck.

'She is so weak… too weak…' he thought as he listened to her labored breathing. 'She doesn't seem to be damaged other then where her bindings were and her energy is as strong as ever. What is going on?'

Placing his arms under her legs to steady her as she slumped unconsciously on his back, Hiei made his way quickly and quietly to the door. 'She better wake up soon. She has to know something about this voice in my head…' he thought as he made his way back to the dark, empty hallway.

Just then the walls shuttered dumping great amounts of dust and debris from the ceiling onto the gleaming hardwood floor. Hiei knew his time was running out to get her out of here before he would have to encounter the master of the house. A battle with him was eminent and Hiei savored the thought of an all out fight like in the old days of his past. He looked behind him to the girl resting uneasily on his back and felt as if all would not play out as such if he didn't get her out of danger first. He shook his head feeling that his thoughts were once again invaded by what ever force was driving him to save her.

In a low, harsh voice Hiei said, "You better have some answers for me or I'll kill you myself, little girl…" His voice stirred her slightly and she buried her face in his neck in irritation before going limp once again. Her cool breath streamed down his throat causing his muscles to shutter slightly. Confused, he looked back at her unconscious form not sure what to make of his reaction. Shaking his head, he shrugged it off and continued down the hallway the way he had come; keeping to the shadows.

* * *

The dust was slowly clearing away from the newly piled rubble of a collapsed column. Satzu Imura stood on a raised platform that supported his oversize chair in an enormous chamber that stretched for several hundred yards long and no less then two stories high. Endless columns supported the elaborate roof and darkened chandeliers. His hand trembled with rage and agitation as he looked on to his servants with disgust. His ice blue eyes began to glow and his body shook with sparks of electricity and energy. He barely held control over his new power as he heard the news of the incompetence of his men of finding the intruder.

"A squadron dead… my barrier tainted… and you can't find the one responsible?" He spat the last word at the informant as his power pulsated, sending most of the accompanying guard to the ground. "Am I forgetting anything? Has your total and complete incompetence been revealed to me or is there something else?" His eyes flashed with an intense warning, glowing darker as his power leaked through his will.

The informant stuttered, "W-Well M-Master Imura, t-there is one last thing…" Barely able to breathe for fear, he continued, "K-Koenma's d-detectives are a-also on their w-way here" It was all he could say for terror had engulfed his body and soul.

"No matter…" Satzu said calmly. "They are easily dealt with. Alert the Kuro Manto to prepare for our guests and find the intruder or your head will decorate my dungeon like your predecessors before you" he finished with a smile.

"Yes, Master Imura…" the informant said quickly with a bow before turning from the enraged demon to rejoin his men.

Satzu turned from the retreating forms of his servants to face a gigantic painting behind his chair of a map of the only part of the Makai know to the Spirit World. 'Oh, how little those fools know. If the truth were known then the walls of this entire room would be filled with the lands of the Makai that lie dark and secret to even the most knowledgeable inhabitants.' His smile grew with his delight of his plan. "Soon it will all be taken for the glory of the Kurayami! We will rule the Makai as we should have and take the Human world as our playground! Soon all that we desire will come to pass and glorify the name that time has forgotten!" His laugh was audible to the rooms surrounding the chamber as it echoed in a cold cackle.


	9. Chapter 9

(Update: Please refer to my profile for the reason for the lateness of these new chapters. I have other interests that I pursue to clear my head of writer's block and this is one of them. A link will be found in the description of this story on my profile highlighted bold)

(Note: To be described as having a small face in Japan is to be described as vary attractive or pretty)

Chapter 9

Night had fully encircled the forest long before the sun was below the horizon. Yusuke was trudging along, tired of waiting for Kurama and Kuwabara to catch up to him once again. The trees stood like statues in a cemetery guarding the tombs of the dead long past and mist began to seep from the earth as if it bled from invisible wounds. He didn't notice until it was impossible to see through the thick fog that the others were no longer following him.

'What the…' he thought as he turned around. "Hey, guys! Quit messing around! I seriously don't have freaking time for this crap!" Silence followed his echoing calls. Everything was white and cloudy around him. He started to retrace his steps when the mist suddenly cleared. There was no one there, nor was the path he was following. Looking around he realized he was not in the same place he was. It was now a large clearing surrounded by ancient trees and at their bases were twirling dead vines of thorns of varying sizes, blocking any way out. The sky was thick with black, crimson, and violet clouds streaming and shifting endlessly in the dark.

"Now this is different…" said Yusuke as he looked around at the bizarre sight. The wind blew cold and hard suddenly from behind him making him turn and brace himself against it. Leaves, twigs and bits of earth were hurtling into him and breaking apart as they crashed into his encircled arms. Mist began to form from the earth like a tornado; swirling into a smaller and smaller mass. The form of a being began to appear from the mass of mist. Just as the being began to hold its form, a burst of energy erupted from it sending the ex-detective to the ground.

Yusuke's mind was racing. 'Could this be the energy Kuwabara was talking about?' he thought with a smile as he stood up. The person standing before him was a girl who had long, wavy silver hair and had a form that was both sleek and voluptuous in her vary short, tightly fitted, blue kimono and flowing black cloak. Her small face held the greatest curiosity as she looked at him almost bewildered through her gray, metallic eyes.

"Oh…" said the new comer in awed surprise, "After all that you're still able to stand?" She cooed. "That energy wave would have destroyed most humans, but I see that you are a teensy bit different. Well, no matter. My name is Misu and I am to…" she thought for a moment, "Entertain, would be the proper word for this I guess…" she said seductively. "Yes, I am to entertain you for the time being. My master wishes to take the fun of killing you for himself. Thus leaving me, with what I am going to assume as the boring job of merely maiming you…"she finished, pouting attractively.

"Well, well. Aren't we cocky?" said Yusuke as he massaged his wrists and cracked his knuckles. "Sorry to say, but I ain't got time to mess around with the small fry. I would rather start off with the 'Big Man' himself. If you could point me in the right direction of your boss or at least show me the way and make the introductions, I'd really appreciate it…" he finished sarcastically.

As her curious stare turned into a cold glare, "The Master is not available, he is busy entertaining his new squeeze…" she retorted in resentment. Running her fingers through her long hair, she continued softly to herself, "Like such a tinny, little girl could handle such a man…" Her voice cooed the last word wrapping it up in her lustful affection.

"Not to rain on your parade girly, but I don't think you know who you are dealing with" Yusuke said smugly. "Seems today is not your day and to make things far worse your pissing me off. The names Yusuke Urameshi and I just so happen to be far more than you can handle so I suggest you get the hell out of my way or face my fist!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Misu exclaimed in surprise. "More than I can handle, huh?" She looked at him from head to toe; "I severely doubt that… little boy…" she finished with a slight giggle, her voice soft and alluring.

"Oh yeah?" Yusuke bellowed. "I guess that means you want option B! Just so you know, kid gloves are not my style" With that he charged her with his right fist ready for action. "Don't say I didn't warn you when you're bleeding on the ground!"

He leapt up into the air poised to pummel her into the ground.

Her eyes were wide with surprise at his speed.

He was too fast for her. She had nowhere to go.

His fist made contact…

…with mist and then the ground, collapsing it inwardly creating a crater the size of a house.

Cold air swept past him in a gush. He pulled his arm out of the rubble in shocked surprise. He looked around wildly as he heard her sweet voice howl with laughter all around him till it settled to his left at the top of the crater. A cloud of white, thick mist appeared suddenly and cleared just as fast revealing his object of attack. She was standing there playing with a bit of her hair just as she was a moment ago; unharmed and seemingly refreshed.

Yusuke stared at her in alarm. 'What the hell just happened…?' he thought as he jumped out of the hole and landed behind her a few yards away, a look of utter confusion in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Misu began lightly. "Were you trying to be serious just then?" she giggled happily. "If that is the best you can do for a warm up, then I suggest you start praying… little boy…" her voice was like velvet.

Yusuke was not sure how to take that. 'She has to be bluffing… ', he thought as he looked her over again. 'She doesn't look that tough, but then again…' his gaze intensified to attempt to look past what was there. '… I have been wrong before…'

"Now that I think about it…" She began excitedly, hopping a bit and clapping her hands together. "I do remember hearing your name!" She tilted her head slightly as her curious eyes surveyed his features. "That little tournament in the Upper Demon World, that's right! Something about third place…" Her eyes focused on something far in the distance of her memory.

'Little… Tournament…?' Yusuke started to feel uneasy. "What the hell to you mean by that, lady? The most powerful demons known to Demon World fought at that tournament and you call it 'Little'?" Yusuke yelled. 'What the hell is she getting at?'.

"You seem to be laboring under a misunderstanding… little boy…" Misu laughed as she was brought out of her thoughts. "The land controlled by the Three Demon Kings was merely the tip of the iceberg… Same goes for the inhabitants". Her eyes focused hard on Yusuke's. "In terms of the Spirit World, compared to Lower Demon World the Three Kings would barely scratch 'B' class".

Yusuke lost feeling to his body as his mind raced. 'How can that be true? Unless…' His thoughts fell on the first in depth conversation he had with Koenma about the Demon World. Koenma described it as a building with hundreds of basement floors continuing underground, endlessly. With that thought, that memory, he knew for a fact that she was speaking the truth.

"Now that that is settled…" she began. "Time for a little bit of 'Entertaining'!" She said brightly. Yusuke watched in horror as he reached behind her and pulled out a pair of bladed juttes and held them in a defensive stance with the blades pointed along her lower arms. "Ready to play, little boy?".

Yusuke knew that he was probably no match for her, but he was going to try anyways. 'Lying down and dying without a fight isn't really my thing' he thought as he raised his fists. Just then a gush of wind and mist flew by him and she was gone. His right cheek suddenly had something wet and sticky trickling down it and her energy was not behind him. Turning slowly to face her, his eyes wide with shock, he saw that she was playing with her weapons like a child smiling at him. His arms and body on the other hand could not stop shaking, making him curse mentally.

Seeing this Misu added, "Aww, I'm sorry! I don't think you didn't expect any of this, did you? A bit deeper then you're use to I expect? I guess you should have been more careful about whose pond you splashed in… Shouldn't you?" She smiled softly at him, giggling in her innocent way.

This was the first time since before the Dark Tournament so few years ago that Yusuke was scared of his opponent.

(Note: Bladed Jutte - A police baton with a blade instead of a blunt pole that also has a single forked piece on the bottom by the handle for catching swords)

* * *

"Now, where the hell did everybody go!" whined Kuwabara. Twilight had just immersed the trees and a strange mist was rising around him. "I expected as much from Urameshi but it's not like Kurama to run off and leave me too…" He rubbed his swore ribs as his pace slowed to a walk. 'I think those guys forget that I'm the only human in this group…' he thought irritably.

All of a sudden, his senses went crazy like he was being surrounded by energy. Looking around at the thickening mist he backed away from it thinking to himself, 'This isn't right… Something's up with this stuff…' Seeing a clear path to his right he took it at a run without hesitation. The mist followed faster and faster down the path, thickening all the time.

"Whatever this stuff is, it's bad! It feels like it wants to eat me alive! Guys, where are you! AHH!" Kuwabara exclaimed as the path he was running down began to be filled with mist in front of him. He turned down another path that presented itself to his left a moment before the mist reached him. "This is nuts! What the hell is that stuff! It's like it has a mind of its own!" He reached a small clearing and stopped. The mist had completely surround him, every exit was cut off. There was no escape.

"Oh, great! Now what?" he said to himself as the mist began swirling around him. Suddenly a gust of wind irrupted as if he was inside a tornado causing him to shield his eyes. "Crap! This is it!" he cried as he braced himself against the encroaching mist.

Everything went quiet as soon as it had started. The wind was still and the energy seemed to have dissipated. Hearing a sudden and sheer voice laughing, he jumped back and stumbled to the ground.

"Wow! Not many humans would have seen that coming! Looks like you're a bit… special…" said the stranger. Rubbing his backside, Kuwabara looked up to see a tall guy with short, shining, silver hair and light blue eyes. His dark, robes were hanging off of him bearing his chest while his black cloak waved behind him. "It's ashame your ugly and a human or you would be a fun addition to our stalk" he continued in amusement.

"Ugly!" yelled Kuwabara as he got up. "I'll have you know that the most beautiful girl in two worlds is in love with me! And I am going to spend my life with her" he said smugly.

In a bored voice the new comer said, "Well, be as it may, it doesn't mean that you're not ugly" He continued suavely, "She must be some girl, innocent I think, to stand that mug" His laughs rolled easily out of his chest.

"Why you…!" yelled Kuwabara. "How the heck would you know you darn girly man? You wouldn't know a beautiful, intelligent girl if one punched you in the face!" He finished, shacking his fist over his head.

"Oh is that so?" Said the new comer, "… and what? You're going to demonstrate this to me?" His laugh echoed through.

"Yeah! That's right!" he thought for a moment. "Oh… wait… What did you say!"

Laughing so hard, the new comer nearly doubled over, "Man, you are too much! It's too bad that I have to end you, you are truly entertaining!" he finished wiping his eyes. Becoming more composed and serious he added, "The name's Kiry and sorry to say, you will never see that girl of yours again. I hope you said your goodbyes". With that he reached to his side and with a flash of light a Halberd appeared in his hand.

"Oh, you really think your 'all that' now that you have a fancy weapon!" Kuwabara shouted. "I'll show you!", he finished as he created a blade of energy from his right hand and held it in front of him ready to attack.

Kiry exclaimed in awe. "You're just full of surprises!" he said excitedly. "But I am afraid even that will not be enough to defeat me…" A smile crept across his chiseled face. His stance changed slowly as if to warn Kuwabara of his impending attack. Then, as if with the wind, he vanished into smoke.

'What the heck!' Kuwabara said mentally. 'Did he just…' but he didn't have the time to finish his thought for at that moment his sword collided with the shaft of Kiry's halberd.

Kuwabara resisted his attack as best as he could, but Kiry pushed him down so hard that Kuwabara's feet were digging into the soil. His ribs were screaming with pain but he stood his ground. Kiry, seeing his determination, smiled and jumped back a few yards. Kuwabara collapsed to one knee and held his ribs as he caught his breath.

"And here I was getting excited about fighting you only to find you barely able to block an easy attack", said Kiry in he least amused tone. "If that is all you got, then this is going to be short. How boring…" he finished shrugging his shoulders in disappointment.

Kuwabara stood up slowly and took his best defensive stance. "If I'm going down, it won't be without a fight…" he said to himself and prepared for the worst.

(Note: A helberd is a long staff with a blade on the end like a naginata, but the blade is thicker and sometimes has ridges along the blade.)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The other, more impulsive, members of his team had been missing for a while now. Twilight had long past and the gathering night encircled Kurama. The trees swayed with no wind to bend them and the ground shifted with no cause. An energy pattern had emerged in the distance emanating the scent of his lost comrades. He followed being very cautious and wary of his surroundings. Every motion caught his attention; every sound twitched his muscles in anticipation.

'The scents are close at hand,' he thought. 'What could have happened to them? Their energy is fluctuating wildly! Could it have something to do with the overlaying power signature I am sensing?'

Suddenly a well traveled path emerged, glowing like the sun at his feet. Pausing, he considered what it meant, 'It could be a trap' he thought, but then reconsidered, 'No, it is a trap and Yusuke and Kuwabara are entangled in it' He mulled the situation over, 'There is, however, little hope of saving them if I do not also entangle myself in this farce and find out what is happening' With that he followed the glowing path while continuing to keep an eye on his surroundings.

He soon entered a small clearing that seemed to be shielded with the bodies of naturally growing trees save for an opening the path led into. They formed what appeared to be walls in a perfect circle reaching towards each other at the top forming a sort of dome. The floor glowed like the path Kurama followed to this place. In the center sat a man in the lotus position with his hands intertwined in his lap. He wore a formal, Japanese male kimono in deep hues of black and gray which off set his long, light blue hair.

Kurama stood, watching the unusual sight, 'He looks to be in a sort of trance or is he meditating…?' he thought as he gazed at the man's closed eyes and solemn look. Ever so slowly, the man opened his eyes and looked deeply at Kurama with striking gray eyes. His voice calm and distant, the man said, "So, you have arrived at last…"

Confused, Kurama replied, "You were expecting me?"

"Yes, of course." He said in a nonchalant manor.

"How could you know I was coming?" Kurama asked trying to gather all the information he could.

His tone never faltering, the man said plainly, "Your mind joined ours some time ago. I simply guided you here."

"Our minds? There are others?" Kurama pressed.

"Of course. The ones you traveled with and the ones that occupy them that are a part of me. We, who are one, live here in the world of our own creation. We bring others here to break their minds and devour them." He relied just as calmly as before.

"Who are you?" Kurama asked. He was almost afraid of the answer, fearing he was right in discovering what he was dealing with.

"I am Kumo," he bowed his head slightly and continued, "Kiri occupies the one called Kuwabara and Misu occupies the one called Yusuke. We are the 'Kuro Manto'. We are different from each other, but one in the mind. We have no true bodies, for we exist only in a dream world of our creation as beings of mist." He seemed to be bored with the explanation.

Kurama was in shock, 'It can not be…' He kept his face calm and asked, "Are you saying that you are one of the Demon plants of legend, the Shoku to be exact? I had thought you were but the product of stories of ancient origins" He was right, he wished he wasn't. "Tell me, is it true that you can remove a root from the main tree, plant it in another location and never sever the psychic connection?"

"That is true" said Kumo.

"How do you capture your victims?" Kurama asked.

"We simply attach ourselves to a blood being and take their minds into a sort of fantasy where they play out their fears or ambitions until they break. We feed on their essence. Your friends, for instance, were hungry for battle, so they fight for their lives. You were very different. A simple trick of the mind would not have convinced you, so we decided to show ourselves as we are, answer any question you may have and finally show you that there is no escape for you or your friends". With that he lifted his head and looked up into the trees.

Kurama followed his gaze only to find that Yusuke and Kuwabara were both unconscious and being fused into the trees high above their heads. Sweat began to drip from Kurama's forehead, 'I had not thought things as bad as this.'

"If you are but the collective consciousness of a demon that resides in a plant who's main body is somewhere in this world or the next, maybe even both, how have you entrapped me without sucking me into a tree like the others?" he asked trying to stall for time and to try to figure out a way out of this.

"You are not trapped like the others as of now. We have decided it would take all of us to break your mind. When they are done with the first two, we will come together. For the moment a simple seed is implanted on your neck to allow communication and for you to see your comrades."

Kurama reached around his neck only to find a sprout behind his right ear. 'How could I have not noticed that?' He knew they were in great peril, but there might be a way out of this predicament.

"Tell me, what happens when that part of your main body of which controls us is destroyed?" Kurama asked as serenely as he could.

"Why, our control over everyone in the area is terminated. But, alas for you, the piece of which you refer to lie with the Demon in the mansion. The area we control is great for we are very old."

'I had thought so. There is no way for me to escape and get there without knowing more about the Demon,' thought Kurama, slyly.

"Who is this Demon that lives in the mansion?" he asked.

"He is called Satzu Imura" answered Kumo. "He was a human until his body was transformed by those who 'Live Beyond the Wall' as a means of escaping. They are not happy with his progress, however, so they have turned their attention on another plan. Unfortunate for him."

Knowing that Kumo meant the Demon's death he did not want to press for more information about the plan mentioned. Kurama continued his questioning about the demons instead.

"The ones who 'Live Beyond the Wall', you are referring to the demons trapped behind the new barrier net that Spirit World erected in order to keep the peace in Demon world, are you not?" he asked boldly.

"The very same. They are known as the Kurayami. Although this barrier net is far older then the one that use to encompass the Demon World. There is no more to be said about them for I do not know anything further" replied Kumo. Sensing the questions cease within Kurama's mind, Kumo closed his eyes and continued to concentrate on maintaining the illusions.

Kurama withdrew into himself to ponder all he had learned. 'This situation is far deeper and more dangerous then we first expected.' He thought about the information Koenma gave them when they began on this journey. 'He was desperate to get us out on this mission. He hinted that it had to do with Kori; that she was to be protected at all costs. I wonder if this situation has more to do with her then meets the eye…' Kumo's words rang in his mind again, 'If the barrier net is older then Koenma had said, then it is safe to assume he is hiding something indeed.' He wondered again how she was connected to all of this and what importance she holds to Koenma. 'All of this is too perfect for mere coincidence…' He concluded.

He looked up towards his trapped friends and thought, 'For the time being, we have to find a way to escape from this entanglement and finish what we came to do…'

* * *

Yusuke felt that he was backed into a corner. Misu jumped around him with incredible speed attacking randomly. He jumped, blocked and dodged as well as he could, but it wasn't long until he was bruised and bleeding. He would attack but every time he did she would just dissolve into mist, laughing. There was little for him to do other then defend himself and figure a way to counter her attacks. 'Every time I even think about attacking she somehow knows!' he thought irritably. Just then he realized that she can probably read his mind or something of the same sort. An idea sprang up.

'Well, its like they say, "The best way is the most straight forward"', he thought as he jumped away from her and prepared for his grand stupid move. Using his spirit energy he shielded his fists so as to prevent the blades from hacking his hands off.

"Alright, lady! I'm getting really tired of this shit! Its time to end this!" Yusuke screamed. Yelling, he ran at her head on.

"Haven't you learned yet 'little boy'? You can't defeat me!" she called at him as she prepared for his attack.

Yusuke went in swinging as fast as he could, trying to dislodge the weapons from her hands. She countered just as fast, blocking with her blades and swinging at his exposed body when he would let his guard down.

'Either way…' he thought, 'I would rather die on my feet then cowering like a weakling, I don't care how strong she is!'

With that thought ringing in his ears, he pushed himself beyond what he thought possible and ran on instinct alone. She began to fall back slightly barely able to keep up with his attack. Her face contorted with frustration. Exclaiming angrily she jumped back from him a few yards and said.

"Well, well. You still have some fight in you yet, 'little boy' she teased and charged him again.

His fists and her blades clashed again and again. It was then that he noticed that there was no echo. 'Something is off…' he thought suspiciously. Thinking about how he got there and the look of things and an epiphany hit him, 'This isn't real… It's some sort of an illusion or mind control!' He looked at the now obvious marks again, 'It's the only thing that makes sense.' Dodge, swing, counter. 'If I am here, then the others must have fallen in to it as well. But where are they?'

Yusuke jumped back and lowered his fists. She smiled and said almost disappointed, "Awe, your not stopping are you? It was just getting fun!"

"Where are the others?" he said plainly.

Pouting, she responded, "I have no idea what you are talking about…"

"I think you do. You also know what sort of place this is," he said glaring at her.

"So what? You knowing the truth is not going to change anything. You can't escape or beat me; the same goes for your companions," she said slyly.

"So I'm trapped, am I? Heh…" he chuckled in amusement. "So this is some sort of illusion? Thought so…" He thought for a moment, and then continued, "You are right about one thing. Knowing doesn't make a difference. I am still going to kick your ass!" With that he charged and their battle continued the same as before with neither of them showing the least amount of faltering or exhaustion.

* * *

Kuwabara again hit the ground, indenting the earth with the force of his landing. "I'm getting really tired of this!" he yelled in frustration at the man laughing at him from a distance.

"Seriously… I'll never get tired of this!" gaffed Kiri as he readied his halberd to counter Kuwabara's feeble attempt to make a decent attack. "You have a great ability, but because you are so weak and clumsy you have no idea how to use it properly! Hilarious!"

"Shut up! I know how to use it!" yelled Kuwabara as he picked himself off the ground slowly. "Stupid jerk!" he muttered to himself. 'If I could get a reading on his spirit energy then I could get him! It keeps jumping around, like he isn't even there!' he thought irritably. 'His attacks feel real enough though…'

"As soon as you understand how to 'swing' the sword and not 'fling' it around, I might say the same!" His chortle was cut short when Kuwabara advanced again. Kiri dodged and countered Kuwabara's attack with ease sending him across the ground on his back. Earth and rubble flew everywhere as he skidded to a stop.

'Yep, definitely real enough…' he thought as he got up groaning.

"Hey!" started Kuwabara. "What is up with your crazy spirit energy?"

"Sorry, what are you babbling about? Did I hit you too hard in the head that time human?" he replied with false concern.

"Hey! My head is fine! It's your energy that is going all nutzo!" cried Kuwabara.

"Oh that!" said Kiri in a tone of unimportance. "'Bout time you noticed that! I thought your 'awareness' would have picked that up ages ago! Just go's to show, I guess!" his laugh rolled off his chest with ease.

"Stop laughing you hyena and answer the stupid question!" retorted Kuwabara.

"Ooo, he's mad! Oh no!" Kiri answered sarcastically, his mirth taking over again.

"Darn you! I am going to kick your tail!" said Kuwabara as he rolled up his sleeves and shook his fist.

"Alright! Alright!" said Kiri as he wiped his eyes. "Maybe it's because I am not really here and neither are you?" he finished, leering at his opponent.

"What? How can that be right! It feels real…" he replied rubbing his back.

"Well, does this place look real? How else can you explain not passing out from your other injuries?" questioned Kiri.

Looking around, Kuwabara noticed what he was not seeing before. Everything was wrong and unnatural. "If this place isn't real, then where are we!" he thought for a moment about what else was missing and continued, "And where are my friends!"

"Ah, finally noticed their absence as well I see!" Kiri began. "You are making good progress!" Clearing his throat he continued. "We…" he motioned to himself and Kuwabara, "…are in a world I created, with the help from the others like me, in your mind as a means of draining your essence and killing you. Is that simple enough to understand?"

He thought about it for a moment considering what it all meant. "If we are in my head, does that mean I am sort of in control, like a dream?" asked Kuwabara.

"No, no you are not" replied Kiri with his arms crossed in irritation.

"Well, either way I am not going to let you suck the life out of me, or whatever, without a fight! I will live and see my sweet Yukina again!"

"I have a feeling I am saving this girl from a life of misery…" Kiri muttered to himself.

"Prepare to fight for real now, you Jerk!" With that he split his sword into two swords and attacked.

"Oh! That's new. Now, at least, it is going to get a bit more interesting!" cried Kiri in excitement.

'If I can stay alive long enough I might be able to find a way out of here before they have a chance to eat my soul,' thought Kuwabara in despair.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It was a labyrinth. Black velvet air surrounded Hiei's senses as he passed door after door, hall after hall; no end was in sight. The energy cloud around the area had congealed into one point in the center of the maze, as if it was a thousand foot round stone of endless force reaching down into an ebony abyss. There was no way through the mass of energy. It permeated essence itself through all existence.

'Damn… If I try to go through it he will know where we are' he thought irritably. He could only think of one solution that might work to find a path. Setting Kori down against the wall he removed the bandage from his forehead and opened his third eye; his Jagan Eye. It glowed intensely from the force of his concentration, scanning. He reached around the complex with his spirit, searching for a space, an opening through the void. The endless black saturated through every man made and spiritual barrier he could find; nothing was saved from its influence.

'Wait…' he thought as he focused his power on a single point of interest. It was bordering towards the center, but it was unguarded by the abyss. 'It's small, but I might be able to get through…' he decided. 'It'll be close though.' Putting his bandage back on, he waited a moment considering all aspects of his situation. He looked long and hard at the small form of the charge he was now responsible for. She groaned and shifted slightly in her disturbed slumber. Her breathing was labored and uneven as if a nightmare had taken over her mind. Sweat beaded on her forehead sending the scent of fear and agony into the atmosphere. 'No matter the case, she needs to be gone from this place.'

Deciding it was his only option, as risky as it was, he gathered up the girl on his back once again and set off down the hall at a full sprint. The small path was not far, but it came close to the center of the black void. 'I have to be careful…' he thought, '…and fast.' With that thought, his will pushed his limits towards the edge turning his form into a blur of speed.

Again, he considered why he was even doing this. 'Such a nuisance! What is this urge to save this retched girl?' He looked over his shoulder at her tormented face while she clenched his arms with her shaking hands. His stomach lurched with anger, 'She is in pain and I have no idea why…' his train of thought continued, 'but why do I feel that she is important? How is she important?'

Her breathing started to become shallow and her voice let out a soft moan of agony. Hiei's skin prickled with urgency, pushing him harder. 'Either way, if I am to get answers I have to get her out of here'. The air around the black void became thicker as he approached the small break in its solidity making it almost too thick to even breathe. Kori began to toss her head as if in protest to the closeness of the abyss, holding even tighter to Hiei's arms and back. She seemed to almost weep.

Hiei understood. 'It seems the closer she gets to this darkness the stronger the effect…' As if he was speaking to her, he continued to say, 'Hold on, just a bit more' Just then he turned the last corner and launched himself at the fissure…

His body maneuvered through perfectly…

The exit of the tunnel was his…

The wall on his right crumbled…

A force grabbed his throat tossing him like a ragdoll into an immense chamber. Instinctively, he held Kori tighter against him and flipped into a landing crouch as he crashed into the marble floor, his feet digging into its perfection. He held his position along with Kori huddled against his back till the rubble settled. He stood, setting his feet apart, preparing for whatever could be next cursing himself.

At that moment, an ominous laugh echoed through the long chamber growing louder with every second. The soft foot falls of someone approaching resonated along with the cruel chortle as a tall, dark figure wearing a black suit emerged from the flowing cloud of dust. His icy, blue eyes glowed menacingly as they landed on Kori's unconscious form and then turned their intensity onto the one carrying her.

Chuckling audibly, he said, "I see you have brought me my new toy. How kind of you…" His words were as chilling as his eyes were piercing. "Won't you be so kind as to bring her here and scurry on your way?" He continued in a softer voice motioning to Kori.

Laying Kori down on the ground close to the wall behind him, Hiei replied by unsheathing his sword and positioning his feet and body for battle. His eyes glowed with ferocity, his skin tingled with exigency and his muscles tightened with anticipation. 'I'm probably not going to win…' he thought as he took a quick glance at Kori lying whimpering and shaking behind him, '…but something tells me that isn't going to stop me…'

"I see you are the strong silent type. I would ask you your name, but you will not live long enough to utter it…" his laugh echoed through the endless chamber. The thick consistency of the energy dissipated flowing freely around the suited man. It pulsed as if it was alive, filling him with its potency. He stretched out his right hand and with the dark essence flowing around him he summoned a familiar sword with a dragon design down the blade.

"You prefer to fight with a blade, than I will also fight with one. A gift from my dear sweet girl," he smiled cynically. "It makes no difference anyways. For touching my 'Sweet', this floor will be coated with your blood…" his demented grim widened. "Her sweet body will give me much pleasure I expect. I can still feel her warmness in my fingers…" Smelling his fingers, he added. "Hmm, intoxicating…" His eerie cackle filled the room once more.

Hiei steadied himself with a deep breath to calm his mind and focus. 'I haven't had a battle to the death with no notion of survival in a while…' he thought with amusement as he thought about the likely hood of his demise. A small smile spread across his lips. The man poised himself for the attack and then advanced with lightning speed. Hiei bounded towards his opponent, his sword pointed for blood, as he thought, 'It's the only real way to fight…'

* * *

Jerking into awareness, Kori found herself on a familiar dungeon floor again chained. The room was lighter then before, 'These chains seem thicker…' she thought as she pulled on them with the same result as before. Just then a high pitched chuckle echoed around her bouncing around the room with no hint as to its source. "You are mine," said a deep familiar voice as it continued to laugh.

"Screw you! I am no one's play thing!" she screamed at the voice. She yanked harder on the chains trying to free her arms but to no avail.

"We shall see! Oh, my sweet! We shall see!" it said as it drifted away leaving her alone on the damp floor.

Just when grief was about to consume her, the room changed. The walls disintegrated along with the floor sending her into a dark abyss of malevolent energy. Screaming she reached out attempting to grab on to something, anything, to break her fall. Feeling nothing she closed her eyes and waited for the ground to meet her. She hit a patch of soft earth, hard, but with no pain. The strange sound of wood cracking filled her ears.

Opening her eyes, she beheld a sight of horror. The buildings of an old style village were on fire. The heat was as unbearable as the stench. The smell of burning bodies filled the air and her lungs with a choking intoxication. Blood fell from the sky like rain and pooled on the ground among the headless and sometimes limbless bodies that were piled in mounds. Women, children and even babies together with their defenders covered the earth like a carpet of terror.

The laughing began again, as if dancing around the dead. Kori's eyes darted around, searching for its source. A man standing on a mountain of eyes, limbs, and mangled bodies caught her eye. He looked down from the sky of ash and said as he pointed at her, "You are mine, my 'Sweet'! Oh, how delicious you will be!"

She turned and tried to run away from the sight. Her feet became sluggish, like they were weighed down. She looked to see the sea of people liquefying into mud; a goop of blood, dirt and bones. It pulled on her fighting body as she struggled against the pressure. She was losing fast. She couldn't breath. It felt like hands were grabbing her form as they pulled her under, into the darkness.

She opened her eyes to find herself on the large bed from before, hands and feet bound, struggling in the sheets against the phantoms of her mind. Trying to catch her breath, she thought, 'Is this real? I had thought…' A vision of glowing, crimson eyes finding her flashed through her mind. 'Must have dreamt that as well…' she thought in despair. She rolled over and closed her eyes to await her fate.

"Oh, you won't have to wait long for that…" said a whisper at her ear. Suddenly his hands were everywhere, like they were before, and his cold breath was on her neck.

"No!" she screamed, struggling against Satzu's strength. He held her tightly to his chest taking her hands that were suddenly free into his as he crossed his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. A chill of revulsion crept through her body.

He moaned with enjoyment at her scent. "Hmmm, how long I have waited for this. You smell and feel…" he said into her ear. Leaning down over her, his tongue touched her skin just above her breast and he glided it up her throat to her chin. Exasperating excitedly, he added, "…and taste as good as I had hoped!"

"Let me go, you bastard!" she yelled in disgust. She struggled harder then ever, almost untangling his hands from hers. With immense strength he pulled her down under him and pinned her arms down above her head with only one hand.

Smiling grimly, his ice, blue eyes flashing, he said, "Oh yes, struggle some more, my 'Sweet'. I enjoy it ever so much!" He chuckled as he leaned down to her, where he started to nibble on her ear. She tried to pull away but he only became more excited. He began then to kiss her roughly on her neck, working his way to her breasts. With his free hand, he caressed them through her under garments. She fought as hard as she could, but he only laughed and began fumbling to take them off.

'No…' she thought. 'This can't be it'. Just then she noticed a scent. It surrounded her; penetrated her. It was the scent of a demon but it wasn't Satzu's. She realized that it had always been there, telling her something. When she thought about where she remembered it from, a pair of crimson eyes beheld her in her memory.

'This isn't real…' With that thought, she began to really fight. She mentally pulled away from him; his grip lessened but did not give way. 'He's so strong…' she thought, 'but I will not give up!'

"I will not be yours!" she screamed, pushing as hard as she could away from the sight. He disappeared along with the room; everything shattering into a million pieces. Deep blackness surrounded her and began to press down on her like an invisible wall. She hammered with her fists all around her trying to break free of it. As if made from an impenetrable alloy, the air moved not an inch. It held her; confined her, but not painfully.

'I can't escape… Wait, what is that sound?' she thought as the noise of clashing metal on metal reached her mind. She concentrated on it as hard as she could trying to divulge where it was coming from. The only thing she could decide was that it was coming from all around her and that other sounds were among it.

'There are voices… I can just barely make out what they are saying…' She thought as the words came flowing into her consciousness.

"…skill is impressive, however, it will not be enough to save you. You have attempted to take what is mine and I do not forgive such rudeness!" The sound of cracking rubble emanated followed by a small tremor and a familiar voice exacerbating in pain.

'…it can't be…' she thought in shock. A hazy picture flew past her memory of a warm touch and eyes that burned red. 'Is Hiei fighting Satzu? But why would he?' A thought suddenly occurred to her as the fighting continued, 'Satzu's words… "Attempted to take what is mine…" He isn't referring to me, is he?' She heard Hiei hit the ground again, hard, and then get back up just as fast. Satzu's voice echoed again.

"It's a shame that my powers keep her unconscious, writhing in the darkness I have created for her. Oh, I wish I could see her eyes as I kill you! Delicious!" He paused and then continued in a colder voice, "I am still her master in her mind though. Going everywhere you have not been yet…" His laughter chilled her bones. The clashing became erratic, going faster and faster. She heard Satzu's voice cry out in pain as a splatter of liquid hit the ground.

'I understand…' she thought finally understanding where she was. 'He has locked me in my own mind. This weight around me, it's my own body…' She continued, 'I had thought all of this an illusion, not incapacitation.' Horror consumed her.

Satzu's voice calmly came again, "You seem proud of a trifling scratch. But as you can see, I can heal myself instantly," She heard Hiei growl lightly in surprise.

It wasn't long before she heard him hit the ground again, harder this time. It took him longer to stand then before, but he got up and advanced again.

'He's fighting so hard… But how can Hiei beat him!?' she thought in despair. 'He is just too strong. If he is capable of fighting Hiei and keeping me in this trance at the same time, what sort of chance do we have of surviving?!' She felt a tear slide down her check, reaching up she felt her face devoid of wetness. At first she was confused, than she understood. 'His concentration is failing him… I am gaining control back! If I can but wake from this trance I can help him.' She, however, had no idea how to break his mind from hers.

She fought and fought against the invisible force that held her with no change. Just then, an immense force surrounded her senses. It was darkness itself; pulsing. She searched for the origin and found that it was coming from Hiei.

'He's using his Dragon of the Darkness Flame attack?!' she thought erratically. 'This is it… moment of truth…' It was released with a word from his voice. She felt the energy twisting and charging towards Satzu who laughed.

"You think you can defeat me with that!" he screamed in annoyance. "Where do you think it originated!" he said while a great power erupted from him slicing the Dragon in half and throwing Hiei to the ground in agony. The sound of falling debris filled the room. "You fool! Do you know nothing of the great depths of the Demon world! You, a child of that plain, draws power from the bowels and knows not what he wields!"

She could hear Hiei groaning in pain. 'No…'

His breath was labored. 'He fought so hard… for me…'

Footsteps approached where she felt his energy depleting. 'This can't be it…'

Another tear fell from her cheek. The footsteps stopped, "You will suffer greatly for your crimes…" Satzu's voice was but a whisper, "Before you die that is…"

There was a shuffle and then Hiei's screams began.

She knew that scream, 'The touch of pain…' His voice echoed in agony and her tears increased, 'I can't listen…' The screams diminished in intensity. 'Not again… He won't live through this…' She held her ears and her body trembled, 'I can't let this happen again. I won't…' She said quietly. His voice died away.

A shock went through her body evaporating the force holding her. 'He's gone… no…'

"No!" A surge of energy freed her from her imprisoned mind. It coursed through her veins, arms and legs giving her new strength, that of which she never knew before. She opened her eyes to find herself on the floor of a great hall half in shambles. Satzu stood staring at her in disbelief while holding Hiei unconscious by the throat above his head. The ground and the walls were burnt black from the flames of the dragon. She got up slowly, testing her strength while putting on the cloak Hiei had wrapped her in.

The new found energy within her pulsed like a heart beat as she stood to face the demon that had caused so much suffering to herself and those close to her. Her eyes still streamed with tears that she could not control. Satzu smiled at her dismay and tossed Hiei to the ground a few yards away. He didn't move.

Kori's breath caught when she saw his still body lying in an unnatural position. She saw many cuts and bruises far worse then the ones he had when they first met. Much of his body was caked in blood and dirt.

"You bastard…" Her emotions raged unchecked and the energy pulsing from within her responded to it.

"Oh, you wish to avenge him I see. He was more of a nuisance then you were and I disposed of him easily enough..." He smiled at her frustration, "…and you think you have a chance to defeat me?" His voice was icy, but soothing. "Shall we begin then? It only seems fitting that I defeat you with your own blade, do you think not?" His laugh rang maliciously as he took his stance and charged.

Kori stood her ground allowing the energy to take over her senses. With a twitch of her head a barrier erected and deflected the blade with ease making it fall to the ground by her feet. His face contorted in confusion. "What is this?!" he called, "Where is this power coming from?!"

In a voice that was not her own, she said, "You will die now… Demon…" The energy burst forth toward Satzu in a blinding wave of light and power. He threw up a barrier to protect himself from the attack, barely holding it off. It pushed him slowly toward the other side of the disheveled hall. His face gave way to his fear causing him to scream in horror.

The strain of fighting against his power forced her to push harder, dig deeper. Her cries from her exertion stirred Hiei back into consciousness. He couldn't believe his senses, 'The deep energy I felt from her on our first encounter has surfaced…' The energy increased exponentially causing him alarm. 'This is merely the tip of the iceberg. If this keeps up, the surge could kill her!'

Satzu's cries surged in urgency as Kori's power ate away at his energy and then at his body, slowly. When at last the wave consumed his soul, the blast eradicated the rest of the mansion behind where he had stood and most of the forest beyond. The dark energy that had surrounded him surged to a single point and sunk into oblivion with an earth shattering explosion. The rest of the hall began to collapse in on itself.

Kori, oblivious to the danger, fell unconscious to the ground as a huge slab from the roof followed her. Hiei's body reacted faster then his mind. He flew with great strain on his tattered body and grabbed her out of harms way back against the wall. He shielded her with his body until the mansion lay in a quiet ruin.

Dripping with blood, he collapsed next to her. She awoke, slowly, to find him staring at her. His eyes were solemn but penetrating. Weakly she said, "You're alive… I was afraid he had killed you…"

"It will take more then that Bastard had to kill me…" was his response as he shifted to sit up. He leaned over Kori and attempted to pull her up with him, but nearly collapsed again with the effort.

"You are wounded…" she said softly.

Scoffing, he replied, "I've had worse…"

Reaching up and placing her hands on either side of his bloodied face, transfixing his eyes on hers, she said in a voice not her own, "For saving me…" Her hands pulsed like before, but instead of causing him pain she healed his wounds with the last of her summoned strength. As the last traces of blood evaporated from his skin, she fell unconscious; blackness overtaking her mind once again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The ground was cold from the night air. The wind came sharp and heavy with the scent of blood; a familiar scent. Charred stone and burnt paint intertwined with it along with a fragrance he became acquainted with only recently. Kurama opened his dark green eyes slowly taking in his environment and trying to recollect what had just transpired. Sitting up he noticed that Yusuke and Kuwabara were pilled around him unconscious but more or less in one piece. Kumo was gone along with the tree formed structure he had the others trapped in. 'The piece of the plant they reside in must have been destroyed', he thought with relief.

His attention then turned toward a smoking pile of rubble in the distance. The hill they were on gave a great view of the valley the mansion resided in and of the unruly destruction that had commenced. The building was a ruin and the landscape in the far distance was in shambles. If whatever happened down there had turned their direction, the hill they were on, as well as themselves, would have been obliterated. The crevice that was created through the mountain foot hills could easily over shadow Yusuke's ultimate attack.

It took a few more minutes for the others to begin to stir. Yusuke sat up rubbing his head. Groaning he thought, 'What just happened? I was fighting this crazy chick and then everything went black…' He considered it for a moment and then said aloud. "Guess I woke up from that 'whatever it was'. This means I won!" Throwing up his fist he announced, "Oh, yeah! Take that you crazy Bitch!"

Kuwabara sat up with a start yelling and looking around wildly as if he expected to be attacked at any moment. Lowering his fists he asked, "Where the heck did that laughing guy go? I still have to teach him a lesson! The Jerk!" It took him a minute to realize the others were with him again.

"Um, Kuwabara?" said Yusuke carefully, "You with us?"

"Oh, guess the dream's over huh?" he said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Kurama laughed to himself, 'It seems they figured out that those were mental illusions. They must have fought hard…' A thought struck him as he remembered what he smelled coming from the demolished remnants of their intended target. "Now that we are free from the Shoku, we need to finish what we came here to do."

"Shoku what?" asked Yusuke.

"I'll explain later, right now we need to investigate what is left of the Mansion and ascertain what went on while we were being occupied" said Kurama. He was not sure if he should mention Kori's scent or Hiei's blood.

"Oh, right!" said Yusuke. He attempted to pick himself up only to have his legs fail him. "Huh? What the hell!?" he exclaimed with alarm.

Kuwabara also had trouble standing. "Why do I feel so weak all of a sudden?!" he asked.

Kurama stood with ease and thought, 'It seems that due to the nature of their illusion, the Shoku drained their energy.'

"It feels like my energy has been sucked out of me!" cried Yusuke.

"That is because it has," began Kurama. "While your mind was under the Shoku's control, it fed on your energy. Looks like you guys will be taking it easy for a bit."

"Stupid Jerk! Feels like he is still laughing at me!" whined Kuwabara.

"It seems that whatever disheveled the mansion also took down the barrier that was protecting it. I do not sense the Demon who resided inside. There is a good chance that he was killed along with the attack that created the crater as well." He thought for a moment about how someone from this world would have that much power and curiosity soon took hold on him. "I'll go on ahead and see if I can decipher anything. You two rest a bit and catch up when you can," suggested Kurama.

"I guess we don't really have a choice now, do we?" groaned Yusuke.

Kurama nodded and left at a sprint towards what was left of the mansion and the surrounding area.

* * *

The air was calm but filled with the scent of the demolished building and the chard earth. The smell of the forest and its inhabitants crept in slowly to the newly made clearing bringing in the far distant feel of rain. The long crater made by the small form that slept soundly next to him loomed menacingly and he could not help but think about how it could be possible for someone of her stature to create anything of its magnitude. She had healed his wounds within seconds where it would have taken days for even Boton to treat him. His energy, however, was not restored, 'That…' he thought, 'would have been phenomenal…'

'How can she have that much power bottled up inside her?' Hiei thought to himself. 'Who is she? What is she?' He had never heard of anyone coming close to what she had channeled only a few moments ago and not know about it. The urge he had to protect her also unnerved him. The entire situation was daunting.

'Now that I have her, what do I do with her?' he considered.

Looking down, as he often unintentionally did, he looked at her with a hard stare of annoyance. 'I feel calm now that she is safe, but why did I have to save her? Why does she need to live?' he scoffed softly to himself.

The noise stirred her slightly causing him to suddenly hold his breath until she settled back to a deep slumber. He hated the fact that every twitch of her muscles, every uneven breath she made, caught his attention. 'I have half a mind to leave her here' he thought irritably.

It was at that moment that he felt someone coming. All he could tell in his weakened state was that it was large and where it was coming from. The instinct to protect her took over causing him to jump to his feet and draw his sword in one breath. Out from a rustling bush off to his left, came Kurama. His eyes landed on Hiei and grew wide as he took in the situation. 'I thought I smelled them, but what is going on?' thought Kurama.

"Hiei, what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

Sighing, Hiei stabbed his sword into the ground and knelt down to lean on it as he gasped for breath. Kurama hurried over to knell by him. Placing his hand on Hiei's shoulder, Kurama asked, "What happened here?"

Looking back at Kori asleep in a quiet huddle, Hiei quietly said, "I wish I knew…"

Kurama began to understand what had transpired. "Koenma is eager to have her back in Spirit World. I do not think he means to detain her again" he added when Hiei gave him a peculiar look. 'Why is he acting like this? What is his connection with this girl…?' Kurama thought to himself as he tried to make sense of Hiei's actions.

Scoffing Hiei said, "What do I care what happens to her? Take her back to that fool Koenma if you want to." He stood and pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it. That was a mistake. His head spun and his limbs became weak again causing him to almost collapse. Worried, Kurama reached out to help him steady himself, but Hiei refused.

"I need no help, I'll be fine. Take her. Take her to Koenma." He said forcefully as he regained his composure.

Near shock over took Kurama's mind. 'What is wrong with him? I thought I smelled his blood but there is not a scratch on him. There is more here then there seems…'

"I will" Kurama responded not knowing what else to say.

Hiei turned and reached down to gather up the girl, but with some difficulty. As he turned back around, Kurama saw that his eyes were filled with a strange look; an intensity that he was unfamiliar with.

Hiei began to slowly take his cloak off of her. Seeing that she was not wearing much, Kurama took off his school jacket and slid it on her to replace it. As Hiei passed her over Kurama saw that he was struggling to let go for some reason.

"If you can help it, don't mention I was here." Hiei said coldly as he looked away from Kurama.

"I won't, if that is what you wish." Kurama replied as he took Kori's unconscious form into his arms.

Hiei nodded in confirmation, took one last look at the girl he saved, wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, turned and walked from sight.

Thinking back to what just happened; Kurama realized he had seen that look in Hiei's eyes before. It was Trust, pure and honest.

'That was the same look in his eyes when he asked me to tell his sister that her brother was dead' Kurama thought to himself, 'Who is this girl to make him act in such a way? What ever it is, he is ashamed to have the others find out about his involvement with her.'

Kurama turned and started back towards the others thinking about what could have possibly caused the damage he saw and Hiei's change in countenance. It wasn't long before he came upon Yusuke and Kuwabara slowly making their way to him on the same path.

"Well, well. Look who you got with you" said Yusuke in a less then excited tone when he noticed who Kurama was carrying.

"Ah! What is she doing here!" cried Kuwabara. "Is she alive…" he added poking her shoulder.

Stirring, she groaned and curled closer to Kurama causing Kuwabara to jump.

"I am afraid she is the one who saved us all" said Kurama.

"What do you mean by that?!" started Yusuke.

"I feel it is best to take Kori to Koenma and see what he has to say. I am sure he has a better idea about what has happened then all of us" suggested Kurama. He figured Koenma would be best to smooth over this kafuffle and ease Yusuke's suspicions before the situation got put of hand.

"I guess, but you better start making sense soon because this is really pissing me off!" yelled Yusuke.

Nodding, Kurama turned and led the way back to the spirit world hoping he was right. 'If this does not subdue Yusuke's suspicions then there is no choice but to tell him the truth' thought Kurama. 'Otherwise he will find it out on his own from Demon World and that will make matters far worse then they are now' he added with concern.


	13. Chapter 13

**Update**: I have made an update available for this chapter on my profile page. Please read.

**Chapter 13**

His mind was in complete pandemonium. The sanctity of the tree he rested in did nothing to calm Hiei's mind as it use to. He could not understand himself anymore. He knew for sure Kurama saw his turmoil. '…it was in his eyes. I was as alien to him as I am to myself…' he thought. At first, when he came to the aid of the girl, he couldn't see the changes within as clearly as Kurama did, nor why they happened.

His mind crossed over to his memories of Mukuro. He did not like thinking about her death. She was the first person to bring peace into his soul as he brought the peace into hers. Little did he know it was that serenity that ended up killing her. It started the day he gave her a birthday present. He heard the other demons who had served her from the beginning of her reign as a Demon King in the Makai that she was always distraught around the time of her birth. Digging a bit deeper he found that her father, the one who enslaved her as a child, would save that day every year to ravage her. It was something of a twisted ceremony of his. To make things even worse for her, he had implanted fake memories of him playing with her or taking her to some place she enjoyed as a means of controlling her so she wouldn't kill him as she became older. Every time she thought of his blood on her hands they would flash through her mind like an uncontrollable projector.

The present he presented to her on her birthday was the information of the fake memories as well as her tormenter bound to a special plant that heals him automatically. He gave her the ability to torture her father as much as she wanted without him dying as he did when she was a child. Hiei unintentionally snuffed out the last of the fire that lived within her. A Demon like Mukuro who lived so long depending on the fire of anger didn't know how to live without it. Her existence came to an end when she came to know true harmony within her heart. Time crept up on her and brought with it her true age that ultimately took her life.

He mourned her, even though she made him promise not to; he still mourned her even now. She told him she was finally at peace and was able to rest after her long years. He accepted that; he understood that. What he had trouble with was learning what to live for now. He had the will to live, the will she gave him when they fought in the Demon World Tournament, just no idea where to apply it. He lost it when his ambition to find his Tear Gem and his place of birth, and ultimately his sister, was realized. Deep in his soul he forgave the ones that threw him off the mountain he was born on due to the fact that to him they were already dead from their cold hearts and long years of isolation from anything.

He fought to his limits when he came to her on her invitation to Demon World to prove his power. Seeing it all realize, he ran at Shigure in Mukuro's dungeon with every intention of sacrificing his life to kill him. There was nothing but death before him now that he was satisfied, until Mukuro healed him and gave him a purpose again. '…and now she is gone and I have this girl to contend with instead. How tiresome…' he thought to himself.

He remembered what he thought when he first met the girl, '…Kori, she said her name was…' He remembered her determined face as they fought their playful battle and was reminded of his youth when he would flaunt his gem to entice other's to fight him. 'She is me when I was young…' he mussed. He pulled his thoughts from the past and directed them to more pressing matters. 'If she has that sort of power over me then I need to find out how to rid myself of it as well as know who and what she is. But where to find that sort of information…' he considered. 'Kurama would be my first thought, but he was just as shocked at what he saw as I was…'

Then the answer struck him so hard that he felt it was beyond obvious. 'What Kurama said about Koenma before I left her with him…' He was the one to ask. He was the only one who would know truly about her entire life; who and what she is. Somewhere within him soared at the prospect of being near her again, to make sure she was alright. He scoffed thinking, 'If that does not stop I will be compelled to kill her myself.' Feeling able to function again, he set off for the spirit world to see Koenma hoping to have to beat the information out of him.

* * *

"…Seriously? That can't be it!" yelled Yusuke as Koenma finished explaining about the things that had just happened and why they happened. Yusuke, Kurama and Koenma were gathered in Koenma's office. Kuwabara was left in the human world to recover with every promise of a full explanation as to what really happened.

Kurama tried to look as understanding as he could, but he knew Koenma was lying to them. Partly because he knew part of the truth already and partly because what he was saying didn't fit the circumstances. 'Especially the part about Kori… I saw the damage done. Hiei is no where near capable of that without transforming and his scent told me that much, so it had to be Kori who did it. There is no way she is that powerful and fluked the whole thing like he said.' Kurama thought as Koenma tried to calm and reassure Yusuke. 'There was not a scratch on her and no blood of hers was present. Hiei on the other hand, his blood was everywhere and yet there was no wound on him. I wonder if she had something to do with that as well. What is she and why is Koenma protecting her so implicitly?'

"So, what you are saying is that that Demon guy absorbed the power of a different artifact turning himself from a human to a demon. Then when Kori went to confront him about using her he fought her causing her to release some energy she had stored in her that is now gone that worked like your binky. And on top of that, those mind demons we fought not only were a part of him in some twisted way but also told us a bunch of crap to keep us entertained while that guy fought Kori. She killed him freeing us from the mind… thing and that is when Kurama found her unconscious at the ruined mansion?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes, that is exactly what happened" said Koenma as sternly as possible.

"That is the biggest load of crap! Seriously Koenma, who are you trying to mess with!" cried Yusuke.

"I don't know what you want from me Yusuke. I can't tell you what didn't actually happen just to satisfy your unruly sense of understanding!" demanded Koenma.

"I want you to tell us the truth! None of that even makes any sense, damn it!" retorted Yusuke.

"I am! It's not my fault you can't understand the truth!" cried back Koenma.

"This is not getting us anywhere…" calmed Kurama holding his hands up to stop the argument. "If Koenma says it is true, than let us accept it as truth, Yusuke" said Kurama with a meaningful look only Yusuke saw. His eyes said, 'I will tell you what I know happened later'

Understanding Yusuke scoffed. "Fine, whatever. I gotta get home anyways. Some stupid test on Monday… Got to study" he said putting his hands behind his head and turning from Koenma towards that door. "Let's go Kurama. Kuwabara is probably biting his nails to find out how things really went down." He added sarcastically. Yusuke returned Kurama's look to show that he understood. 'You better…'

Turning to Koenma Kurama said, "I would like to come back in a few days to see how Kori is doing. There is something I wish to tell her, if that is alright?"

"Yes, yes, that's fine. She should be awake by then. Boton is sure she won't sleep more then that." said Koenma dismissaly.

"Then Boton looked after her when we brought her in? How are her injuries?" asked Kurama politely.

"Considering she had none, pretty well I would say. She just used too much energy and needs to recover" replied Koenma.

"Hurry up Kurama!" yelled Yusuke from out in the hall.

"Until later then?" said Kurama to Koenma with a bow.

Koenma nodded and watched as Kurama left with Yusuke wondering if the whole thing was too easy. 'I hope that worked' thought Koenma. 'If he does find out the truth lets hope he has enough sense to stay out of it or there is a good chance he will make things far worse then they already are…'

* * *

Through the thick glass there lay an ancient forest with its twisted, sharp trees and large, over grown plants the size of houses capable of eating even demons. The sky was coal black even when it flashed with sporadic bolts of lightning from the compounded layers of hoary energy that seemed to seep from the ground like a haze. A Demon of massive stature sat leaning on the arm of an equally sizable chair watching the sight without absorbing it at all. He gazed out in the distance, past the forest and the desert beyond it to the flashing yellow net that encompassed his world.

This net was special and very different from the one that preceded it that surrounded Demon World only a short time ago. This net was twice the size in thickness of its woven energy bands as well as the space it covered between that desolate place and the known Demon World. It also protected the border in a different way. To save energy, it would only react when a demonic presence came near and would match the energy the presence emitted.

The Demon glared at the sight and growled so deeply the ground shook from the sheer power of his voice alone. He stood slowly extending his body to its full height; almost to the ceiling. His eyes were darker then the sky as they shined with his desire for freedom. His body, ripped with muscles, flexed powerfully as he stood. The blood red hair that flowed down his long body, trailed the floor as his feet crossed the distance to the glass window of his room. Deep scars glowed with the flashing light of the lightning all around his bare arms, face and chest. He wore a vest like shirt of gray and black training pants that were held together by a simple belt.

The news he had just heard disconcerted him. Neither the fact that Imura was dead, nor that the piece of the Kuro Manto he had taken great care to place in the other world had been destroyed only moments ago even fazed him. His concern fell on to the fact that the Child of Darkness had revealed herself to him again but like last time has a powerful protector. That power meant nothing to him, but on this side of the barrier he had little influence on the plain she existed on. Those he controlled on the outside were susceptible to this power. A new plan needed to be thought out. New pawns needed to be created. New power had to be released. He smiled at the scene that now amused him, "Soon, that world and the next will be mine…" His voice, though a whisper, boomed from his chest like a blast of fire and ash.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Koenma sat back in his chair taking in a sigh of relief believing Yusuke took the story he told him to heart. 'If he knew the truth, there would be hell to pay in this world as well as Demon World. I wish he wasn't so hot headed…' he thought.

Unfortunately his peace was short lived when Ogre came in with less then good news.

"Um, Koenma Sir?" said Ogre.

"What is it Ogre?" asked Koenma irritated.

"Well sir. I have here the final report from the Department of Spiritual Interference. It seems Sir that he wants to talk to you," said Ogre in a curious tone.

"He what?! Give me that!" exclaimed Koenma as he snatched the paper away.

'He wants to use his final pass of communication to talk to me?' thought Koenma in awe as he read the report. 'What could he possibly have to say to me?' he wondered.

"What do you want to do about this Sir?" asked Ogre carefully.

"There is no need for him to be so drastic. I will see him without the use of his communication pass," said Koenma still taken aback.

"I am sure that would make him very happy Sir" said Ogre cheerfully "I'll go and arrange it right away!" He said as he left.

Leaning back against his chair Koenma considered long and hard as to what could be so important for him to act in such a way. Breaking the strict laws of the Spirit Interference Act and almost forcing an audience with himself were all very much against who he was. 'It has to do with Kori, there can't be any other explanation…' he concluded.

His wait was not long. Within an hour the door creaked open and in walked a guy that was small in stature but had a glow about him. His silver hair almost shined in the regular florescent lights of Koenma's office as did his white, slightly opened button down shirt and white pants. His dark, purple eyes glowed with concern as he crossed the floor to Koenma's desk. His hands rested lazily in the pockets of his long white jacket trimmed with black on the edges that dragged on the floor.

In a calm and cool voice the guy said lightly, "It's been awhile Koenma, how's things?"

Koenma answered, "Fine as ever, but you didn't come here to discuses pleasantries. What can I do for you, Kenshie?"

Smiling slyly, Kenshie answered, "You are very right," he began. "I have come to warn you Koenma. The thing we feared most will come to pass. The only hope you have is to be honest with those who you wish to help you possibly over come this hopeless situation. Especially the one I have been in communication with…"

"Hiei?!" Koenma said, shocked by his prediction.

"Is that his name? Well then. Yes, this Hiei must be told the truth about Kori. Unlike I was at first," answered Kenshie.

"First of all, why in the world did you pick Hiei of all people to act as her protector?" asked Koenma accusingly.

A puzzled look crossed Kenshie's face, "I thought you were aware of that fact…" he said surprised.

"Aware of what?" demanded Koenma.

"I was not the one who selected him. She did, just as she selected me in the past." He said calmly.

"What? Why would she do that! Might as well ask fire not to be hot for all the good it will do!" exclaimed Koenma.

"You really seem to be laboring under a misunderstanding. She is in far more control then you give her credit for, though much may be unconsciously done," Kenshie began, "It is not a choice; you are drawn to keep her from harm. I can't really explain it."

"Yes, but Hiei? Have you seen his record? And she wants him to help protect the world! I feel like I am being laughed at somehow…" Koenma said in despair.

"Give her some credit, he has a few good qualities. He has done his duty well so far considering he has no idea what he is involved in, but it will not do for him to be kept in the dark. I feel that he will surprise you if you gave him a chance. If you do not tell him the truth about what has happened to him and why she is to be protected, then I will…" said Kenshie sternly.

"I will see what I can do. There is a good chance he will not believe me and be even more dangerous to this situation…" said Koenma with concern.

"If I can, I will try to rectify that…" promised Kenshie.

"Secondly, how do you know all of this?" question Koenma.

"When you watch everything, there are paths that connect that others find hard to see. It also helps that I was Kori's friend and confidant when I was alive. Knowing the past from her and seeing how things are playing out are all I needed to confirm the disaster" he said very sternly. Seeing Koenma's disbelieving eyes he added, "Believe me or not, it is coming. You can trust me on that. He will come for her again and she will break."

"Who is coming for her?" asked Koenma. "You don't mean…?"

"Yes, the very same one who tried to take control of what is inside her and annihilate everything..." he said seriously. "His madness will not save her this time."

Koenma took a moment to ponder Kenshie's accusations. To him, it seemed too perfect to have all of this happening at this time. If what Kenshie is saying is true then someone is trying to bring about the next great catastrophe that was scheduled to happen in 500 years now when he is powerless to stop it. His energy he had stored in his Mafuuken is still too depleted to keep the worlds safe right now. If Kori showed her true self 500 years too early then the worlds as they knew them would cease to exist.

"Kenshie… Do you know what is happening to her? Why is she losing control?" asked Koenma.

"I am not sure. It is almost like the Soul is merging with her…" said Kenshie thoughtfully.

"How can that be possible…?" began Koenma. "It is supposed to be completely separate from the consciousness of the host. An observer, not a participant…"

"That conclusion makes sense even though it is impossible," said Kenshie.

Koenma thought quietly to himself for a moment considering Kenshie's words. 'I have no choice but to tell Hiei the truth. I might even have to bring in Yusuke and the others as well.'

Looking over at Kenshie, Koenma noticed something in his eyes as he stared at the wall with a distant look. "Even now you are still looking out for her…" Koenma began. "You still love her, don't you?"

His eyes soft, Kenshie looked at Koenma, "Yes, I do. Maybe not in the same way as I did when I was alive, but similar. I hope she moves on from the pain she went through when I died, but I would not like her to forget me as I will not forget her…"

"If she has indeed chosen a new Guardian, it very well may be that she has moved on. She has not forgotten you though, that much was clear during our last conversation…" said Koenma.

"Thank you…" said Kenshie with a smile. "Please, make every effort you can to convince this 'Hiei' that it is imperative that she lives."

"I will do my best. I know as well as you do what is riding on all of this" replied Koenma.

Kenshie nodded and then turned and left the office for his eternal resting place once again.

* * *

It took a few hours, but Kurama finally fully explained all he knew about the events of the last few days. He, Yusuke and Kuwabara were all sitting in Kuwabara's room the next morning after the encounter. Kuwabara was still in pain, but almost completely healed. Yusuke on the other hand stood with his arms crossed by the window. The sun was shining down strong on the new Sunday morning. Birds sang and danced on the trees below the high window, however Yusuke saw none of this.

His body shook from frustration, his mind was lost in information and his heart was full of anger and resentment for not being trusted more.

"So Kurama," began Yusuke calmly, "what you are saying is that after the Demon World Tournament the barrier net that separated Demon world and the Human World was taken down, but another net still exists deep inside Demon World holding the Demons that pose the greatest threat. Demons so powerful that not even the Three Demon Kings could take them on together." His hands tightened into fists, 'Still more who are even stronger…' he thought.

"But they don't like their confinement," Yusuke continued, "They want out at any cost to take over both worlds and destroy them."

"Yes, Yusuke," said Kurama carefully. "Kumo said that they call themselves the Kurayami. I have learned about their existence through my contacts in Demon World and then Koenma seeing as he could not fool me."

"But he thought he could fool me…" said Yusuke with ice in his voice. "Have I not earned his trust even now?! Have I not saved his ass countless times and this is what I get for it?!" Yusuke's voice rose as he spoke.

"Please, be calm Yusuke…" said Kurama.

"I am calm!" shouted Yusuke, his hands shaking uncontrollably now.

"Stop whining!" yelled Kuwabara. "At least they tell you some things! Ever thought maybe you're not supposed to know everything! There are rules, you know! Rules not even Koenma is suppose to break!"

"Kuwabara is right," said Kurama. "Koenma is most likely trying to protect us from the truth for a good reason."

"Don't know about you two, but I would like to know what that reason is," Yusuke said sternly. He turned for the door only to be stopped by Kurama.

"Wait, Yusuke! Koenma must not know that I have discussed this with you." Kurama said urgently, "Let us wait and see how this plays out. If I am right he will have to break down what ever reserves he has and have our help on this one."

"What do you mean?" asked Yusuke turning from the door.

"Kumo also said that they had created another plan for escaping the barrier. They would not have abandoned the last one without being sure of the new one's success." Kurama said. "You can be sure it will be far more dangerous then this situation was. We must be ready. If they escape, it would mean complete decimation of everything."

Seeing the warning in Kurama's eyes, Yusuke abandoned his plan to blast down Koenma's door and demand an explanation. He had the answers to his questions, but he still felt restless. 'Knowing there are more things out there even more powerful and far angrier then I am is unnerving.'

"There is another subject I would like to discuss with the two of you," requested Kurama.

"Oh?" asked Yusuke as he returned to his place by the window.

"Even me?" asked Kuwabara pointing at himself.

"Yes even you, Kuwabara," replied Kurama.

"Do you all have any idea why Koenma wanted the mission finished that day?" asked Kurama.

"I figured because he didn't want that Demon guy to finish what he had planned," replied Kurama.

"That is what I thought at first, but learning about Koenma's and Kori's relationship, his need to protect her in particular, and what she can do, I am not so sure anymore", Kurama said. 'I can not tell them about Hiei, but maybe they have noticed other things about her.'

"When we caught her," began Yusuke, "she didn't seem like much. She did little but incapacitate us and run. Are you sure she did all that damage?"

"I am sure. She was the only one there and Koenma did not seem the least surprised that she could be capable of doing it," said Kurama. "He seemed to be more shocked that she did not take the city out as well as the mansion."

"I see. Not sure what to make of it to be honest," said Yusuke. "What about you Kuwabara. Feel anything strange about her?"

"She gives me the creeps!" said Kuwabara. "And not because she got the best of me! It's deep, but something inside her is different then anything I have ever felt. Like it is above us; above mortals…" he finished with a chill.

"There is a good chance that she is far more then she seems. I don't even think she is a demon." He then told them about his misdirected feelings about her involvement with the Demon in the mansion.

"Her sense of honor is strong…" said Kuwabara thoughtfully.

"Oh, like you're some sort of expert!" replied Yusuke.

"More then you are! You big Jerk!" yelled Kuwabara.

'Looks like that is all for that conversation…' Kurama thought. 'But at least they confirmed my suspicions. There is something more to her then any of us knows. She is involved far deeper then even I can comprehend.' His gaze reached outside as he tuned out the other's bickering and meditated on the conundrum that was Kori.


	15. Chapter 15

Kori laid there, just existing, in the darkness of her own mind. Cold and alone, she really didn't care whether she lived or died, although death sounded much more appealing for so many reasons beyond her control. So there she was, floating endlessly through the rivers of thoughts encased in her subconscious, for how long she could not tell. What seemed like minutes were more like hours and what seemed like hours were in fact only minutes; flashes caught in the fabric of time. All through time and beyond, many thoughts escaped the abyss of the water and floated freely and willingly around her. One thought caught her attention, only one. So miniscule it was like a speck of dust that flew uninterrupted through endless space, yet, for some reason, its value was indescribable and at the same time as simple and clear as glass. The thought follows as austere and complicated as this:

'For what reason do I go on living?'.

There it was, repeating like a broken record player, echoing through the caverns of her head. 'What was the reason?' The truth was that she had no real reason, for her life was no pretty picture

A village of humans took her in after they had found her wandering around on their mountain completely covered in blood and dirt. She had lost your memory, but so many things still haunted her; images of blood, of death, and of fire. Even now the true horrors of her past were still clouded from her mind, only a few have surfaced in all the time she has lived. Images of a young couple, her parents she assumed, playing with her and bathing her. She still had no idea what happened to them.

She was only four years old when they found her alone on the mountain, but even though she was so young no one wanted to take her in saying that she was a bad omen. But they allowed her to stay in an abandoned shack in the village and provided her with food along with an occasional beating or two from them as payment for her 'irritating presence'. It was a small and very closed off community, so this in turn made them hate any outsiders; Kori especially. It was unnatural how much they loathed her, even going as far as blaming her for everything that went wrong in the village.

The other children thoroughly enjoyed pulling stunts like stealing fish from the community fish store hold, just to get her into trouble so the adults would punish her once again, but the children soon became bored with this and left her alone. Life was a little more bearable for a while, even though she was still dressed in rags and other tattered second-hand clothing the villagers gave her and was barely fed. All the same she wanted as little to do with them as possible to avoid the beatings she got regularly, even if it meant suffering from the cold and hunger. When she turned thirteen though, her life began to take a turn for the worst. She started to mature physically and several of the older single men had begun to take a liking for her.

They would constantly harass and degrade her for the way she dressed by saying comments like, "Hay, sweetie! Come over to my place and I'll set you up with something nice to wear for me!" which was normally followed by a lustful glint in their eyes.

One day, one of the men that constantly harassed Kori came into her hut. As soon as she looked over at him he lunged at her pinning the girl to the ground. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth with his hand, and then went on trying to tear her clothes off. She struggled against his strength with everything that she had until she somehow sent him flying through one of the walls of her residence. She sat for a moment shocked at her strength, but decided to not stop there. For once in her life she allowed emotion to take over her senses, causing her to black out. When she came to, the area was destroyed for miles around and the village along with it; the ground charred black.

Without a thought she turned and took off for the forest with no intention of ever going back. It felt like she ran for hours on end, but she couldn't stop. All of the fear and pain that was locked up inside was free now and she had no idea of how to control it, so she ran. She ran until she had completely exhausted herself and collapsed to the forest floor. The huge surge of emotion was so intense that tears began to stream down her face. Before that moment she could not remember a time when this happened, not when they beat her, not when they starved her, not even when they worked her to the bone. At first it puzzled her, but then she let it take over.

She didn't know how long she laid there and cried, but it was almost nightfall before she even looked up. She examined her surroundings for the first time. She had never seen such beauty in her life that she could remember. The forest was magnificently lit from the setting sun; glowing an intense bluish orange. The leaves of the trees glistened from the light, slightly swaying back and forth from the soft breeze that flew in from the east. With it came the sweet smell of blooming flowers and fresh grass, something she was not used to. She breathed deeply allowing the scent of the forest to saturate and calm her hectic mind, bringing her in to a sense of peace and tranquility.

As she remembered her past as she lay in the abyss of her mind, one name came to her mind, 'Kenshi'. This just happened to be the day that she met him. His memory brought back the pain and emptiness she knew all to well, causing tears to swell up in her eyes. It lived deep inside her hidden from thought or view, like a sickness that could never be cured. A pain such as this would never completely heal. The only thing she could do was to learn to live with it, for there is a point where one just can't cry anymore. The loss of her friend, who was so much more than a friend to her, was more than she could bear.

She smiled slightly to herself as she remembered the day she met him. "Yes", she said to herself, "It was that day...long ago...".

She knew not how long she sat there, marveling at the coming night. After finally finding a sort of peace within herself, she wanted to wash everything away forever. There was a nearby lake of blue, crystal, clear water that glistened under the moonlight in a way that seemed magical and mystical at the same time. It drew her to it, like a moth to a flame. As she approached it she removed the remaining garments she had on and walked elegantly into the cool water. When it reached her waist she dove in and swam as if she was apart of it; connected to it. She emerged from the water, gently removing stray stands of hair from her face. It was then she saw her reflection in the water for the first time in a long time. She was amazed at how she had changed over the years. She was no longer that freckled-faced little girl she remembered, but a young woman. Her raven hair now had blood-red streaks through it, her once brown eyes were now in fact hazel, and her freckles were nowhere to be seen. She was officially a new person; the reminiscence of her old self was just a faded memory. Suddenly a chill went down her spine making her feel that someone was watching her.

She quickly ducked down into the water, concealing her very naked body and called, "Who's out there?!"

The silence persisted until finally some rustling could be heard from the bushes that lined the shore of the lake closest to her only confirming her suspicions. Suddenly a guy with purple eyes and boyishly cut, silver hair emerged from the coverage. He had a very intense face, his expression that of embarrassment at being caught spying but his eyes were completely transfixed on her; shining. His clothes were completely black, their style foreign to her. He also carried a katana on his back in an onyx sheath. He advanced slowly towards the shore, his gaze never faltering.

He stopped short of the water and asked with a light, friendly voice, "Are you Koritsu Shita?".

She sat for a moment slightly taken back by his knowing her name. 'Who is this guy? How does he know my name?'

Taking a risk she asked, "Who are you?"

His eyes were full of kindness as he spoke. "My name is Kenshie", he replied in the same tone. "Are you Koritsu?"

She thought for a second, but before deciding on whether or not to tell him who she was, her mouth got away from her and she heard herself say, "Yes... I am".

She saw his face erupt in the brilliant smile she remembered so clearly just as a flash of white light suddenly consumed her mind and pulled her from her memory. She was flying; to what she knew not. She opened her eyes and saw that she was flying through a tunnel of stars and swirls of colors and light. Looking ahead she saw what looked like a crack in the fabric of space where the bright white light poured from. The closer she got to it the brighter it was, until it became blinding and consumed her.

The next thing she knew she was warm and no longer flying in a sea of stars. She lay instead on a bed of tall grass that felt like velvet to her skin. A bright field surrounded her that glowed with beads of light that flew softly around the grass and small plants. A forest could be seen in the distance that also shined with a mysterious light. She heard wordless music all around her gliding gracefully through the hills.

She stood, staring in amazement as what she was witnessing. A warm wind blew her hair gently around her face. It was saturated with the fragrant smell of flowers and moss. Turning towards the woods she ran gleefully through the fields into the forest beyond. A path glowed in the dimness below the ancient trees guiding her up a hill to a cliff that over looked an entire valley.

There was someone there, however, staring down at the expanse before her. The wind ruffled her mid-length white and pink dress. Her long, amethyst hair flowed like silk through the winds' long fingers. She glowed with a sort of inner light that almost pulsed with energy. Kori walked slowly up to the enchanted girl and stood next to her realizing then that the music she was hearing was coming from her. She turned and looked at Kori with an impassive expression. Her eyes were azure blue and endlessly deep with age, though she physically resembled a young maiden.

She spoke softly; her voice seemed to echo through eternity, "The time of Reckoning is drawing near. Prepare yourself, for the hour of decision is upon you…"

Her voice shaky, Kori asked, "What do you mean? Who are you?"

Her smile was small but captivating. The young girl answered, "I am the reason you go on living."

"How can that be? What do you mean? I don't understand," Kori asked in confusion.

Her features softened as she answered, "Ask the one whose soul is bound to you; he will be your guide." With that the girl and the valley faded away leaving Kori to fall into complete unconsciousness leaving all thoughts and feelings behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The wind in the Spirit World blew cold, ruffling Hiei's hair as he sat on the ledge of the top most floor of Koenma's Castle that over looked the River Stix. The hair on his arms were still standing on end even after hours had passed after hearing Koenma's tale about Kori's past. 'It can't be true…' he thought desperately. He had no idea her real story would be what it was. If Koenma is in fact telling the truth then… '… we are all going to die…' he thought irritably.

Looking into the window he sat next to, he saw the sleeping form of the one who is destined to bring about the world's destruction. Kori tossed and turned as if still plagued with nightmares uncontrolled by her. Her face was tormented, but innocent. 'There is no way she knows what she is, which is even more dangerous. If she does not know, then she has no choice. No matter what she thinks, she is still a puppet to fate…' That thought unsettled him. It didn't seem right that she was given a responsibility she knows nothing about and is expected to fulfill it to everyone's expectation.

The scene in Koenma's office was still fresh in his mind. It was easy to slip in past Koenma's preoccupied person unnoticed as he addressed piles of paperwork. He stood in the shadows observing the Ruler of the Spirit World.

Feeling that he could wait no longer for answers he made a slight throat sound startling Koenma into spilling a small pile of papers all over his desk.

"What…? Hiei!" started Koenma as Hiei stepped out of the shadows glaring down at the small sovereign. "Oh, so there you are. I have been expecting you"

"Then you already know what I have come for? Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining why I wish to tear out your lungs…" he said coldly, balling up his fists.

"Yes, I have every intention of telling you everything, but you have to understand that it stays between us." Hiei gave Koenma a very unconvinced look. "You will see why when you understand who Kori really is."

"If you say so, but I make no promises," said Hiei as his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Very well then…" said Koenma feeling defeated as he started the long and arduous story.

"The first time I learned of the one we currently call Kori…" said Koenma carefully. "…a prior human life of hers had just ended. She was killed by accident the day a human named Rein Osha found her and used her for his own devices. He was a psychic that lived centuries ago. It was a fluke that he stumbled upon her when she was walking home one night. Being one that was truly evil as well as powerful, he took control of her mind and used her to brutally kill and burn her village. After that he disappeared. I know not what happened to him."

"What is she?" Hiei asked darkly. His body was tense, but his mind was calm.

"Eons ago, a being came into existence in the darkness before the creation of the worlds. It was the first of many beings that, through the millennias, became what we now call the Seishin. They are extremely powerful and far older than even my father. What lies within Kori is the first of their kind. In the spirit world, it is simply referred to as 'The First Soul', though it is more complicated than that."

"Complicated how?" stated Hiei angrily.

"'The First Soul' is very different from the rest of its kind. It is able to bind with a living being the way a regular soul does. It even lies dormant like a usual soul in most cases…" said Koenma.

"Except…?" hissed Hiei, feeling he knew where this was going.

"Except in Kori's case," Koenma said slowly.

Hiei's eyes grew dark. "Exactly how powerful are they?" his tone matching his growing anxiety.

"Powerful enough to decimate all three worlds if they wanted to…" answered Koenma. "However, that has never been their intention. Most of them see those of us that dwell in the three worlds as inferior and not worth much concern."

"But not this 'First Soul' entity?" asked Hiei darkly.

"No, unfortunately not. It sees us as destroyers of our world that it watched born from the darkness. It has pronounced itself Judge of all existence and passes through different life times as a means of objectifying annihilating everything and everyone," said Koenma. "Ever since the day Rein took control of her, we have kept an eye on 'The First Soul' calculating its influx of energy it feeds into its incarnations and waiting for the day of reckoning. We didn't expect it to fully surface for another five hundred years, when by then my Mafuuken would be powerful enough to finally contain it once and for all," said Koenma.

"But, that is not what is happening, is it?" asked Hiei forcefully.

"As you might have noticed, she has a massive amount of power at her disposal but has little knowledge or control over it. It seems that 'The First Soul' is awakening," Koenma continued, "It is not, however, occurring how we predicted. I have reason to believe that it is merging with Kori instead of erupting from her as a separate being. We do not have enough information about it to even being to guess about what its intentions are now. This is a completely new development."

Hiei was not sure what to think. His hands shook slightly and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead. "That urge I had, so save her. What was that? She is more than capable of protecting herself. Why have me help her?"

"That is a little difficult to explain," answered Koenma.

"Try…" said Hiei through his teeth.

"It begins when Kori was young. She became a vagabond in a village in the mountains long ago. Her parents lived out farther in the wilderness where she apparently lost control and killed them both. Having no memory of this and being very young, a nearby village took her in. When she grew older, she lost control again, but this time instead of just killing those around her she destroyed the entire region." Koenma paused giving Hiei a moment for it to sink in.

"I felt that she was a ticking time bomb so I sent one of my spies to collect her and bring her to the Spirit World to find a way for her to control her power that seemed to be slipping very much out of control," Koenma continued. "His name was Kenshie. He trained her to control what she could and how to defend herself other than using her energy. They became very close..." Koenma pause a moment, lost in thought. Hiei twitched slightly at hearing about this Kenshie. He was not sure why it bothered him, but it did. He waited for Koenma to continue.

"Very soon after meeting her he became attached to her in another way. I asked him about it once; he said that it was an urge that drove him to guard her at any cost. He said that it was the only way to make sure that the power within her stayed dormant. In other words, he was protecting the world from her hidden abilities by keeping her safe. As long as she is not threatened the energy stays in check," explained Koenma.

"I didn't choose to save her if that is what you are getting at…!" scoffed Hiei.

"I know. I didn't understand it at the time, but Kenshie came to me a few hours ago from his place of rest and told me that she was the one who chose him to protect her and that it wasn't really a choice for him at first," continued Koenma. "It seems to me that 'The First Soul' saw the destruction Kori was causing unintentionally and has adopted appointing those it deems most capable to protect her from herself."

"Why me? Why now?" asked Hiei, his voice showed his annoyance and strain. 'I have no intention of giving my life for her!' he thought to himself.

"Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest. Kenshie did however mention that Kori, herself, was in far more control then I gave her credit for. She may have been the one to unconsciously make the choice, but there is no way of really knowing," replied Koenma exhausted.

"So that's it! I am some girls pet to give my life for when she deems fit!" yelled Hiei, his voice echoing in force.

"No, that is not how it is. The ones that killed Kenshie were really after Kori and the power within her. If they got a hold of her, there would be no worlds at all. We would have all died. He chose to give his life for her and saved us all. Kenshie explained it a bit when he came through after his death. When it came down to choosing to give his life for hers, the urge went away. He could have left her to her death, but he chose to die for her. You have a choice, Hiei," said Koenma urgently.

"Then why am I wasting my time with all of this! Why should I 'choose' to protect her?!" asked Hiei, his temper flaring.

"If the 'First Soul' is caught by the ones who killed Kenshie, they will break it and unbalance the entire universe throwing it into chaos…" Koenma said coldly. "There is also a decent chance that it will completely awaken and erase everything as well."

Hiei was taken aback for a second. He didn't expect Koenma to answer him in such a way. "She has been alive for a long time with no one looking out for her. Again, why should I care? She has the ability to choose another."

"The ones who killed Kenshie are on the move again. They have bided their time well, seeing as I am now incapable of using my Mafuuken since that incident with Sensui. They intend to attempt to take her again, I am sure Kenshie would not have lied about something like that. She needs to be watched, now more than ever. I implore you, Hiei; please reconsider your standing on the situation. Give it some thought at least."

Hiei thought about it for a minute before Koenma added, "Kenshie has faith in you."

Hiei looked up at Koenma, saying, "How does he know about me?"

"I suspect you heard the voice that spoke to you while you were in the mansion?" asked Koenma.

"That was him?!" exclaimed Hiei. He was not sure how he felt about being invaded in such a way by the one who died for the girl.

"He said that I needed to have more trust in you. That you were chosen for more than just your power," Koenma continued, "Mentioned that you had your good qualities behind your rugged exterior."

"Ch, he shouldn't make assumptions he does not understand. You were right not to trust me as her protector or his implications about me. I have little interest in her life if any!" Hiei snapped as he turned from the small ruler towards the door.

"I hope you are just being arrogant and misleading, for all our sakes, Hiei," said Koenma to him as he left the office.

The wind cooled his skin that was still beaded with sweat. 'If I choose to ignore this urge to keep her safe, we, all worlds, have a good chance of being obliterated. But if I accept it…' he shunned the thought. 'I do not wish to be a toy for her amusement…' he thought angrily. He looked behind him through the window at Kori's now tranquil face. He felt calmness flow through him, erasing any anger he felt before. 'Finally, she sleeps soundly…' he thought. He was not sure why he felt peace when he saw her features bathed with serenity as she rested contently.

Thinking of the things he felt when he first met her, the feeling of freedom he longed for specifically, he concluded, 'I guess I can watch her for the time being, until she chooses another…'

With that decided he leaned up against the wall and rested a bit listening to her rhythmic breathing.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

'I can't breathe…' Kori thought as she began to move her stiff body. Her limbs were sore from lethargy and her mind was foggy with glimpses of the past, both recent and distant. Opening her eyes slowly, she pushed herself up from the scratchy mattress. The air was hot and heavy with stillness; she hated it when she couldn't feel the air move. The room was dark other then a light glow from the moon shining through the lace curtains. The style, the set up; her conclusion as to where she was sleeping wasn't hard to come to. 'Damn you Koenma…' she thought to herself as she moved to get out of bed. Her arm gave way under her causing her to collapse back onto the bed.

'Damn it…' she cursed to herself. Catching her breath from her excursion, she tried again with better results. Sitting up she felt her body creek like an old woman. Her muscles were rigid and weak and her joints were sore and crackly.

'How long have I been here…' she wondered. 'Better yet, what happened…?'

The fog started to lift; she began to remember her time in the mansion. 'There was that Demon… he was going to…' she flinched from the memory. She remembered his hands on her body, his breath at her neck and, worst of all, her weakness. 'Was his mind binding my conciseness even then?' she thought, but decided that since he was dead it didn't matter.

She thought about what happened when Satzu was stopped by a subordinate and left her alone and waiting on the bed. 'Then I remember feeling warm… He found me…' she thought about the small fire Demon she had met and the type of person she saw in him. 'He is defiantly not the one who I would have thought to come after me, let alone go against someone that strong by choice.' She couldn't figure it out. She saw him as a brash, arrogant, 'fighting for himself' sort of guy.

'Then why did he?' she thought, puzzled. She knew people like that, even considered herself one of them, but could not see how their brief meeting could have drew him to come for her. 'I guess I will just have to ask him…' she decided with a slight smile.

His face passed through her mind. His deep red eyes, his warmness and his voice. 'That's right, he was screaming like I was… Satzu was touching him with pain… He was going to kill Hiei… and then I…' her heart skipped a beat. 'I couldn't let that happen… but where did that power come from?' A vision of her destroying not only Satzu, but the mansion and most of the area behind it flashed in front of her eyes.

Looking at her hands she said in a hoarse voice, "What am I…?" No one ever told her or would ever tell her, even if she asked.

'Kenshie knew…' her breath caught in her chest as she remembered her dreams of the past. 'That's right, it happened then too. The day he found me I had also destroyed…' She looked at her hands again. She thought about how he used to smile at her and encourage her when they were training. "Did he know even then what I am…?" Her recollections turned darker as she considered the one notion that has plagued her since his death, 'Did what I am bring about his death… Did I kill him?'

Suddenly, something else that happened in her dream caught her attention. 'There was a light…' she thought in astonishment. 'It swallowed me…' Her blood started to pump fast and her hands began to shake.

"That girl…" she said slowly. "The things she said…" The girls' blue eyes bore into Kori's from her mind. The scenery around her was fuzzy but she stood with her hair and dress flowing in the wind as clear as in the vision. The girls' voice echoed as if it came from the beginning of time.

"_The time of Reckoning is drawing near. Prepare yourself, for the hour of decision is upon you…"_

The girls' words resonated through Kori's mind. 'But when I asked her who she was she only said…' she thought as she recalled the girls' words to her.

"_Ask the one who's soul is bound to you; he will be your guide."_

'Who is she talking about? How could someone be 'bound' to me? I don't understand!' Her frustration was rising. None of the things the girl had said made any sense but they wouldn't stop playing over and over in her head. Taking a deep breath, she stopped fighting the words flooding her mind and let them play out.

Every word, image and feeling was memorized. It felt to her, that this was no ordinary dream. 'This means something, but I have no idea what…' A phrase repeated suddenly:

"_The time of Reckoning is drawing near…"_

'It seems I will find out soon enough…' she decided though she didn't like how it seemed that she had no choice in the matter.

'For the time being at least, I will do as I please and I do not want to stay here.' Her body was more responsive and steadier this time. She pulled off the sheet that covered her to find that she was only wrapped in a thin robe. Looking around she spotted a familiar black pile at the foot of the bed. Crawling slowly across the matted sheets, she gathered and donned the simple, black jump suit and boots left for her. It was then that she realized her sword was not there. 'The last time I had it was at the mansion. It's probably still there…' she thought.

Feeling a bit more like herself, she walked slowly to the window and pushed it open. She thought she saw something move in the corner of her eye but she didn't pay it any attention. All that touched her mind was that the wind was cool and refreshing. She breathed deeply and exhaled taking in its' full radiance. She could feel her energy and vitality coming back.

'I will have to rest before going back to the human world for my sword, my energy has not recovered fully yet' She looked down and gagged the distance to the ground. Not wanting to over exert herself, she jumped down a few stories and stopped on a ledge rather then doing the entire distance at once. A few more jumps and she reached the ground feeling more tired then she would have liked.

'It won't be long before I'll have to rest… I have to cover as much distance as I can before that. Otherwise, when Koenma sends his lackeys after me they could find me…' she thought irritably. Having an idea where she wanted to go, she jumped into the trees and was gone.

* * *

"Oh, she is going to be so happy to have that back!" said a bubbly green haired maiden while carrying a tray of various medicines and bandages. "How on earth did you find it Kurama? I thought for sure she had lost it in that fight."

"Well, I noticed it when I found her but neglected to pick it up. I figured it would be a good 'get well' gift. I always see her with it…." Kurama lied with a smile. 'I only hope it was worth the time to find it. We have many things to discuss, Kori.' He looked again at the object in his hands. The hilt of the sword was black with a well worn hand grip and the matching sheath was made of a material he was not familiar with. It felt like stone but was as light as one made of wood. The blade was different as well. The dragon design that stretched its' length was not etched or painted on. It seeming like it was naturally part of the metal; as if someone forged it and it simply appeared. With that thought, an idea struck him.

"This sword is very peculiar. Where did she get it, Boton?" he asked.

"Well, it use to belong to Kenshie but she sort of inherited it when he died protecting her and all… It was so sad!" said Boton casually before she clasped her hand to her mouth in shock causing the items on the tray to rattle.

"What is the matter Boton?" he asked slyly knowing full well what he just cornered her into doing.

"Uh, aha ha! Oh nothing! Aha ha!" she said nervously putting her hand behind her head. "It's just that I would consider it a favor if you didn't pass that on to anyone… aha ha…"

"Oh, of course" he said as innocently as he could.

'Why do I feel like I was schemed into that…?' Boton thought to herself. "Well, here we are!" she announced as she gestured to a door at the end of long hall. Running over to it she added, "Let me go in first and see if she's awake!"

Boton knocked lightly before opening the door slowly. "Kori? Are you awake yet? Someone is here to see you…" Boton uttered a scream and dropped the tray shattering everything on it.

Kurama raced inside in confusion, "What is it?!" he yelled. All he saw when he entered the room was Boton in hysterics, her tray crushed on the floor, a bed, an open window with the curtains blowing and no Kori.

"She's gone! Oh! Koenma is going to kill me! She is in no condition to travel! Oh, that girl!" cried Boton very worried.

Running to the window he looked down to see a small black form dashing into the trees. Looking up above towards another presence he sensed near him he saw Hiei squatting down over the roof watching the girl disappear into the night.

Looking back at Boton, yet another idea struck him. "Boton, the best thing we can do is form a search party and go after her. If she is not in the condition to venture out yet, then we need to find her fast. I think I saw her head towards the south end of the river…" he lied. "Go explain things to Koenma and find the best people for the job. Now Go!" he ordered.

"Yes, right!" she said as she scurried off.

Smiling he turned his attention to the small Yokai conveniently located on the roof. 'Too convenient to be honest. What is he doing here?' Kurama wondered as he leaned out of the window. Hiei jumped down to the window sill staring at Kurama with a murderous glare. Kurama just smiled innocently back at him.

"What?" Hiei snapped angrily.

"Oh, just wondering how long it is going to take for you to go after her. I misdirected the 'search party' so you will not be found out," said Kurama teasingly.

"You assume too much…" scoffed Hiei in irritation as he turned to leave.

"Am I?" began Kurama. "What were you doing outside of her window then?"

Hiei stopped and looked at Kurama, his eyes hard and unreadable. "Ch..." he growled looking away towards the huge expanse of forest below him.

"Thought I would not notice you perched up here when I arrived?" started Kurama, daring Hiei's anger. "It would be more likely that you were distracted with something else. You would not let your guard down lightly."

Hiei merely stared out into the distance, not really focusing on anything. He knew Kurama was right. He let his guard down and that he could never afford to do again.

"She must really be important for even you to take an interest in her…" Kurama said attempting to ascertain if Hiei had any idea who or what Kori was. 'His behavior suggests that he knows something about her, but how much does he really know?' he thought remembering when he found him guarding her body in the ruins of the mansion. 'The look on his face was unmistakable. He was protecting her…'

Hiei chuckled lightly. "That she is. I, otherwise, have not decided whether or not I care…" he retorted.

"Well, when you decide, give this to her," said Kurama handing Kori's sword to him.

Hiei was puzzled at first, but then recognized the hilt. Nodding, he strapped it to his back securely. As he was about to jump down, Kurama stopped him one more time.

"Hiei…" Kurama began, his eyes darkening. "What is she…?"

Hiei smiled smugly. "Wouldn't you like to know…?" he said mysteriously as he disappeared into the trees.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Hiei had been following his new charge most of the night through what seemed to be the entire expanse of the forests of the Spirit World. He kept a good distance from Kori in his attempt to not draw attention to his interference of her imagined privacy. Jumping from tree to tree with no idea as to where she was going in her condition infuriated him, but he kept pace just the same. Even at that moment, he was not sure why he continued to be so vigilant of her. It would have been easy enough to watch her from wherever he happened to be with his 'Jagan Eye' as he does with his sister, but he could not be calm with her so far from him.

'This 'attachment' with this girl is maddening. I feel my blade calling for her throat…' he thought as he gritted his teeth.

Hiei felt her speed decrease not long before dawn as they entered a place that not even he knew existed. At first he thought that she was leading him up an immensely steep hill, but it wasn't long until he realized that the ground was not inclining, but in fact the trees were getting bigger. They grew to such catastrophic proportions that he could not jump across one branch in a single attempt. The distance between the trees was also beginning to be difficult to traverse due to the extensive space amidst them. He had to carefully navigate his route mid over lapping branches and shorter distanced jumps while barely keeping up with her keen step.

'She's defiantly been here before…' he thought irritably as he attempted to mimic her effortless movements through the colossal forest with slow success.

The destination of the long journey Kori had decided upon was in the center of the throng where there stood the copious and towering branches of a tree of such great age and size that the ancient energy within it caused it to glow in a pale and eerie, silverish light. Her mind was so lost in exhaustion that the fire apparition following distantly behind her was gone to her notice. Kori nearly collapsed from her weakened state into the crown of the tree where the main body gave way to its arms creating a sort of curved cradle large enough for more than a few people to occupy comfortably. As she laid to rest, the light of the sky that sparkled with the magnificence of the universe shined down upon her through the opened canopy of foliage.

Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs with the sweet, free air of the place of her memories. It had been a long time since she had visited the old tree. 'Yorishiro… It's been awhile…' she thought as she remembered when Kenshie told her its name back when he was training her. They would come and sit together under the heavens and rest amidst its broad glowing branches due to the fact that it had the ability to restore energy faster than normal, especially in her case.

Resting her head on one arm, she examined the hand of the other. 'What am I…?' she thought again. Turning her hand around against the sky, she looked at it intently. It seemed ordinary enough, but how could a simple thing that is so familiar to her do something so beyond her understanding? The images from her previous battle and the dreams she had come gushing into her mind again.

Finally being able to catch up, Hiei paused where he was when he noticed the shift in the energy patterns of the forest. It felt as if all the trees in the area were feeding off of a source of power in the center, where he could also sense Kori. Slowly advancing towards this source of life, he saw that the plants were slowly changing. They all had a slight glow to them growing brighter the deeper he went. He was not entirely sure what to make of it, except that the energy was similar to Kori's.

Suddenly he caught sight of the place she ended her long journey. The amount of pure energy it produced was astronomical to say the least. However, it wasn't the type to be able to live on their plain of existence, so it simply pulsed through the forest under a thin veil as if shining from a different world altogether.

'Where is this energy coming from? This is no natural occurrence…' he though as the area throbbed around him.

Quietly creeping closer, he suppressed his energy as he caught sight of the girl who led him here. Hiei watched her carefully from behind a nearby tree that barely over looked her position as she stared up at her extended hand seeming lost in thought. Her eyes were calm and distant as they focused in and out at whatever occupied her mind. The wind blew lightly, stirring her black and deep red hair slightly. Reaching over, she brushed a few tress behinds her ear and folded her arms behind her head.

Again it occurred to Hiei, 'Now that she is here, what now?' he thought. 'Do I force her back to Koenma? Or let her do as she wants?' he considered as he absentmindedly reached up a grabbed the strap of her sword that hung across his back. 'If I let her go, then why did I follow her?' he thought about this for a bit while he watched her.

She raised her hand again and started to draw lines in the air as if connecting the stars into shapes. She smiled at this and seemed satisfied with what she had accomplished. Replacing her arm under her, she sighed deeply and looked distant again. The wind shifted his direction bringing her scent with it. It hit his mind like a kick to the head, demanding his attention. She smelled of a field in spring with a hint of blood. He smiled at this thinking about how many have been at the edge of her sword for the smell to stick to her skin as it did his. He watched as she stretched out her body to its full length and suddenly became very aware that her clothes complimented her curves.

He turned his gauze from her, startled at what crossed his mind. He didn't know what to make of the notion. '…Strange' he thought as he decided it was more of an observation than an real feeling. He could not deny the fact that many would consider her fairly attractive but he would not make an actual opinion on the subject of her suitability for him. 'She is nothing but a nuisance after all…' he growled to himself.

Looking back around the tree at her, he saw that she was genuinely smiling at something unknown to him. Her eyes were shining from the light of the stars and her entire composure was that of peace. As before, all of his conflicting emotions melted from his consciousness and was replaced with calmness. He couldn't explain how she did this, nor find anyway of removing it from his mind. He sighed and accepted it as he did before.

Suddenly the wind changed and blew in her direction. 'Dammit!' he cursed mentally hating his neglect of the simplest things. Knowing her as much as he did, he knew that there was no way she would overlook his scent. Within a second of the breeze caressing the stray hairs that hung over her face she jumped up ready to fight.

Raising her fists feeling very naked without her sword, Kori called in Hiei's direction, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

He didn't move. He had suddenly become very aware that they had not spoken in a conversation since the first day they had met. It seemed a lifetime ago when he fought her that night in the Makai. He was more then sure that she knew nothing of her true self or why he had saved her from the Mansion. 'If I show myself, she will have many questions that I can't answer…' he thought. 'What do I tell her?'

Kori's anger swelled, "Don't think I can't sense you trying to suppress your energy! I refuse to go back to Koenma! You hear me!" she shouted loud enough for the whole forest to hear.

Hiei was surprised she could sense him at all. 'Looks like I have no choice…' he decided knowing she would only follow him if he left.

Using his immense speed, he jumped from his hiding place to a branch just above her. He looked down at her with hard eyes having no idea what to say or do. He decided to wait and see what she did first.

Her eyes wide with shock as she looked up at her supposed attacker. His eyes, his aura, his stance were starting to become far more familiar to her then she wanted to admit. "Hiei…" she whispered. "What are you doing here…?" she said in a low voice in complete disbelief. 'How did he find me? Did he follow me..?'

Scoffing he replied, "Don't think too much into it. I merely came to give this back…" With that he removed the sword from his back and tossed it down to her.

She caught it easily with one gesture. Unsheathed it, she examined her lost sword as a smile spread across her lips. Her eyes finding his easily, she looked deep to find any malice behind this act, but again she found none. "You went and…" she began but Hiei interrupted her.

"No, I didn't…" he said sharply, looking away from her. "Complements of Kurama I'm afraid."

'Kurama? Why would he go through the trouble?' she considered. Confused, she asked, "But why would he…?"

"Hn. I expect he did it to find out more about you. What you are more specifically," he replied looking down at her small form. "It was the first time I have ever seen him at a loss for words…" he said with a smile.

"But I don't know what I am. Those things I did in that place… I don't know where they came from. I do intend to find out though. Whatever is happening to me is not over…" she said in a strong voice.

He smirked slightly at her force of personality. She was far more daring than he had given her credit for. 'How would she go about find out about herself, I wonder…' he thought. He chuckled softly as he imagined her pummeling Koenma into talking. "Now I would like to see that…" he said as he turned to leave only to be stopped by her voice.

"Wait! I wanted to ask you…" she began, freezing him in place. "…to ask why you came for me…" She saw him stiffen at her question.

He considered just leaving, but again he knew she would pursue him till she had her answer. He saw her determination in her eyes when they had fought and it was still unwavering. He turned back to her not sure what to say, knowing she would not believe the truth. He wasn't even convinced of it.

She couldn't help but notice that his eyes became focused on a memory that was far away and his entire being struggled with whatever it was that consumed his mind. 'Why won't he answer me? Did what he witness me do change him in some way…?' The things he did when he saved her, from carrying her out of there to fighting Satzu, reminded her of someone from a long time ago. 'Kenshie would have done the same…' she thought in reminiscence. Then it hit her, 'There could be no other explanation! He has to!'

Forcing her voice to get his attention, she said, "You know what I am. Don't you?!"

Hiei jerk his focus to her again, taken aback by what she guessed. "Koenma has discussed it with me" he said as casually as he could.

"Please! You have to tell me!" she pleaded but he just stared at her with unwavering eyes. "Please! You have to! Look at what I have done! If I can't control whatever is happening to me then how can I prepare for it if I don't know!"

In a flash he stood right in front of her, inches from her face. She pulled back in surprise but he grabbed her arm and yanked her closer causing her to drop her sword. The glow of his eyes bore down deep into hers, his scent filled her mind and his aura flared around her. She struggled against his grip but there was a great difference between their strengths and he held her firm.

"You…" he began as he growled in her ear, "…are in no position to give orders. Be not mistaken that just because I helped you that you have authority over me." He said it more to himself then her but he felt she needed to understand her place.

She couldn't move. His breath was hot on her neck as it was the day she met him in the woods of the Makai. The scent of him was demon mixed with a sort of pine musk. His skin burned with warmth and his grip was strong but not overly painful. She felt ashamed of herself for letting her guard down and allowing him to get so close. 'I should know better by now…' she thought in anger.

Twisting her around, he pulled her arm behind her back, hard. She groaned in pain and tried to defend herself but he wrapped his other arm around her neck as a means to hold her still. Her breath quickened and she grabbed his arm to try to pull it away from her but to no avail. Her back was against his chest and he could hear her heart racing. He felt the heat of her body flowing into him and he could smell the slight scent of fear on her skin. Her body pushing and struggling against his caused a sensation he was not very familiar with. Every once in a while in the past, he felt something similar when he was with Mukuro but he had never paid any attention to it till now. It was like electricity but with calmness and serenity mixed in that he had never known before. 'I won't be trapped by this, but she has to know'.

"You…" Hiei began again, his mouth against her ear. "…are undisciplined and impulsive. That is your failing. You must learn what you are on your own. If you can't change, then you will never understand yourself and your power will consume you."

His words cut her so deep they penetrated her soul. 'He's right…' she thought. It occurred to her that there had always been someone there supporting her throughout her life; someone there to tell her that it was OK to not to depend on herself for answers or control of her power. Even Koenma thought the world was too much for her. 'I can't be a child anymore' she decided.

"You're right… I hate it, but you're right. He used to say the same thing. I guess I haven't changed all that much since he died," she said plainly.

He released her gently and leaned up against a mammoth sized branch while she grabbed her sword and hoped up onto a limb that crossed over the crest that she used as a sort of bench.

"When you say 'He' the one you mean is…" started Hiei but Kori interrupted.

"Kenshie? Yes. I guess Koenma told you about him as well," she said as she tried to hide her emotions. She didn't like talking about him unless it was necessary. 'I suppose it is necessary that he knows so he understands what he is getting into being around me. I hope he sees that there is a chance that I could kill him too.'

Hiei sighed. "Not much, really. He said that he trained you and that he…" he paused not sure how to continue without being overly blunt.

"… died protecting me." Kori finished with an edge in her voice.

"Yes," Hiei said looking at her curiously. Her eyes were hard and far away and her body trembled almost too lightly to notice. The wind grew warmer and calm with the coming dawn. The leaves and smaller branches swayed and danced filling the air with a harmony of rustling and whistling. It seemed to revitalize Kori as her eyes grew softer and her lips spread in a small smile that brought her features alive.

Looking away quickly again, Hiei pushed the vision from his mind. 'Useless. There is nothing to gain but weakness from thoughts like those,' he spat to himself.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt that she could talk about him for once. "He did train me, but he also taught me a lot about the different worlds," Kori began. "This place, for instance, is sort of a connection point for energy from another world. He explained that this other world is like the Spirit World in that it is above the other worlds, but it is unreachable. There is no portal that can take you there, unless you are from it. They say that this tree was born from a seed from that world which would explain why it is connected with it, but that was too long ago to be sure," she finished as she remembered unafraid of her feelings. She looked over at Hiei to find him gazing at her with a strange look she could not place.

He was not sure why she was talking like this, but her demeanor became livelier the more she spoke. Her eyes glowed excitedly the same way they did when he fought her and her voice grew stronger as she became surer of herself.

Chuckling to himself, he said, "That explains some of the things I sensed when I entered this place." Looking up at the stars as they began to fade with the coming light, he felt that he knew less than he thought about her. He started to hate the fact that not knowing intrigued him into finding out more. 'I know enough…' he forcibly decided.

"I felt the same when Kenshie first brought me here. Though he could never tell me why my energy returned faster than his did when we would come and heal ourselves after long days of training," she said. She realized that she said his name without feeling that horrible pain of anxiety and guilt. She couldn't explain why she felt so at ease when Hiei was near her. "I have a feeling I will know why when I know what or even who I really am, aren't I?"

Looking over at her, his face impassive, Hiei answered, "I don't know. What you are is beyond anything I know about, that's for sure, but who you are is up to you and you alone. Someone I know went through something similar but he never let it change who he was." It was the first time Hiei openly admitted that he admired Yusuke as a friend. 'Hn, now she has me talking nonsense.'

"That's all I have to say," he said as he turned to leave again.

"Wait!" Kori said reaching out her hand to him. "I… I am not sure where to begin…" She didn't know what else to say to keep him there. She liked his presence; it was calming. She had no idea when she would see him again and it made her uneasy. "Learning about what I am that is…"

Looking over at her, he said, "Only you can find your path. Learn to walk it on your own or it will be a wasted journey." With that he turned and left the way he came. 'Ch, why do I even care?' he growled as he retraced his steps back to Koenma's Castle. Looking back at her shrinking face he knew the answer, but refused to accept it.

She watched him leave again just like when they first met and she knew she would see him again. 'We are not finished with this, Hiei', she thought with a smile. 'I will be stronger next time'.

(Note: I had fun writing this chapter. Took alot longer than I anticipated but it was worth it. I love feedback so feel free to let me know how you all felt about it. I also reposted a video on YouTube that is my latest work. BTW I also make AMV's. The link is on my profile since I can't seem to hyperlink it on a story page.)


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?! This better not be some cruel joke Boton!" screamed Koenma after being told that Kori had gone missing from her room.

"I'm sorry Koenma sir, but it's true… She jumped out the window…" whimpered Boton as she cowered close to the wall. "She was gone before I even arrived… She shouldn't have had the strength to walk let alone jump from the top floor…"

"I don't want to hear excuses! I want her found! She is in no condition for these antics!" shouted Koenma. "Organize a search party at once!"

"I do not think that will be necessary…" interrupted Kurama as he strolled into Koenma's office. "I have a feeling she is perfectly safe. I imagine that if she over exerts herself she will be brought back."

"Brought back? Brought back by who?" asked Boton curiously.

"Boton, would you leave me and Koenma alone for a moment. Please, do not worry about the search party," Kurama asked pleasantly.

"But…" she protested looking over at Koenma.

Sighing Koenma gave in, "It's fine Boton. Kurama obviously has something on his mind. Just go and see to your duties," said Koenma defeated.

"…Ok…" she replied hesitantly, turned and left the office with a sigh of relief closing the door behind her.

"Right, I take it that you know about Hiei's involvement with Kori then? Is he the one who went after her?" asked Koenma.

"He is the one pursuing her; that much is a certainty. As for knowing about his involvement with her, you have just informed me of it," he said smiling slyly.

Koenma shifted sharply with an irritated groan crossing his arms in annoyance. 'Damn, he got me again,' he thought with venom.

"I do not do this out of malice," began Kurama. "You brought it on yourself for not being honest about something that will eventually consume us all. You may still be in charge of the spirit world, but since the Demon World Tournament things are run very differently. If we go back to the way things were then we will destroy ourselves. Secrecy is no longer an option if we are to brace what is coming."

"What are you saying, Kurama? Have you heard something that I am not aware of?" said Koenma suspiciously.

"On the contrary, I am only looking at the evidence at hand. The things the Kuro Manto member said when I spoke with him for instance. Those Demons beyond the wall will not stop until they get what they want and if what he said is to be believed then they already have another plan of action," replied Kurama, his emerald eyes shining with warning.

"Demons from the Makai have been known to be resourceful in breaking the rules in the past…" said Koenma as he thought about Kurama's words.

After a few moments of deep thought, Koenma began, "I am not wholly convinced they can make it out of there without considerable effort and resources I doubt they even have. I do, however, believe that being ready is far easier than picking up the pieces of the smoldering earth left in their wake. If truth is what you seek, Kurama, than assemble the others." Before Kurama could say anything Koenma added, "Nevertheless you will be responsible for controlling Yusuke. His regard for planning and generally thinking ahead leaves much to be desired. In cases like these, it will be more important than ever."

"I understand. What about the case of Kori? Does her presence have an impact on what is occurring at present?" asked Kurama.

"I will decide what about her needs to be known. That is all I can promise. I will not mislead you, but her roll in this universe is a secret that I am not even completely sure about. Most of what is known about her is from reports older than I am and basic observations through the years." Koenma looked away as he spoke, his eyes glistening with distance and worry. He was not certain but he had a feeling in his gut that her existence at this time of turmoil was the bigger threat then even the imprisoned Demons.

"Are you sure that is wise? I doubt her presence at the Mansion or the Kuro Manto's interest in her is coincidental," said Kurama in earnest.

"Interest? What are you saying?" said Koenma in alarm.

"In Yusuke's experience with the being Misu, she had mentioned that the 'Master of the House' was busy entertaining Kori," began Kurama. "He said that it seemed that she was very upset about this. I am, however, not sure in what manor her distress originated from. Yet this does indicate that they are aware of her, but we are uncertain to what extent. It would be logical to know as much as possible about her as a means of ascertaining that information." Kurama finished but Koenma seemed unmoved in his determination to keep the mystery of Kori a secret.

After a few moments, Koenma answered, "I will take what you said under advisement. These new developments have left more for me to deliberate about then I had anticipated. It seems the state of all worlds could soon hang in the balance. We must all step lightly to avert a potential catastrophe."

Kurama understood what Koenma meant. 'He won't give it up that easily. Even now, we can't even be trusted. She must posses an incredible secret,' he thought as he left to assemble the others.

* * *

The smell of fall was just flowing in from the north, blowing the browning leaves through the semi empty streets of a familiar city as the sun reached for the horizon to bring the night. A young girl with short brown hair in a blue, junior high uniform holding a brown school bag walked down the street along side a boy with slicked back, black hair and a green jump suit.

"So, Yusuke? Have you thought of a way to open your 'business' to the public yet?" asked Keiko.

"Yeah, sort of. My mom knows a guy that helped get some money together for me to open a Ramen Shop. I'll run my side detective business through that."

"Ah, I see you thought of something clever," she said with a giggle.

"Hey what was that!" yelled Yusuke playfully shaking his fist.

She laughed and skipped ahead of him as he chased her in jest. They were walking together again a few minutes later.

"You still going to go to that all girl high school?" asked Yusuke curiously.

"Dai-ichi School for Girls? Why? Do you want me to go to a co-ed school instead?" she asked playfully.

"No, that's not… What I mean is… I was wondering if you were accepted, that's all," Yusuke said in a jumble as he tried to look disinterested.

Smiling, she answered, "Yes. I received my acceptance letter last week." The look on her face changed for an instant, but long enough for Yusuke to notice.

"You got something on your mind?" he asked as sincerely as he could.

"Well, you remember the girl who was with me the day Kurama came to our school? The thing is she hasn't been back since and I tried finding her house but she's not there, Keiko began in a worried voice. "She doesn't seem like the type to not tell anyone she was moving. I'm just a bit worried that's all."

"I wouldn't worry about her to be honest. Wherever she is she can take care of herself," replied Yusuke.

His statement seemed to imply something more. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

Remembering that he wouldn't hide anything from her anymore he decided to tell her what he knew about her friend. Their conversation was long and emotionally exhausting but she listened to his story intently. He finished as he folded his hands behind his head as he walked with her and waited for her to respond.

"I see…" Keiko responded as she thought about what he had told her. "I had no idea that she wasn't a real student, let alone a demon."

"Yeah, well I had no idea I was either. Seems we can't take anything for granted these days…" said Yusuke as his mind drifted off to the conversation with Kurama. 'And here I thought my life was finally going to get boring.'

Keiko began to feel that something was wrong, 'He is not usually this quiet after a case…' she thought to herself. "Yusuke?" she said stopping.

Sensing that Keiko was not next to him, Yusuke turned around curiously not realizing that she was talking to him. The look in his eyes confirmed her fears.

"Your going away again, aren't you?" Keiko asked calmly as her eyes glazed over with fear and worry. "Kori is just the tip of the iceberg, isn't she?"

Not knowing what to tell her, Yusuke turned his gaze to the ground. 'If only she understood, I can't ignore all this' he thought.

"I see…" she said stiffly

"Keiko, I…" Yusuke began but came up blank. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and kicked the ground in irritation.

"I hate this…" she said as her throat caught with tears. "Not knowing whether or not you are coming home. Not knowing whether you are hurt or facing something impossible. The worst part of it all is watching you change more and more into someone I don't recognize anymore."

He could see her body shaking and his heart sank. He went to her instinctively before he knew what he was doing. He grabbed her shoulders forcing her to look up at him with her tear stained face and said, "I will always come back to you. No matter what I face, I will make it back to you. I swear it, Keiko. Do you understand that?"

"Yusuke… You can't know that…" she said weakly.

"Yes I do. See, I haven't changed all that much, huh?" he said with a smile.

"Yusuke…" Keiko said with a sigh.

As his name passed her lips he couldn't help but lean in closer till their lips met. His hands slid from her shoulders to embrace her closer to him. As their kiss ended, he leaned down to her ear and whispered, "I will come back for you. Do you believe me?"

Sniffling slightly, Keiko leaned up to his ear and answered, "I believe you will try…"

His arms tightened around her as the night crept into being.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The night was cold and quiet as the moon discreetly rose above the forest as it began its evening ritual through the sky. All life in the Makai seemed to have seceded in awe of this serene moment; not a sound was uttered, not a breath released. All was quiet and calm as gusts of wind silently shifted the loose snow that had accumulated throughout the day into tiny cyclones that circled the trees in an ongoing display.

An intense scream suddenly echoed among the trees as a figure was sent crashing full force to the earth, uprooting trees and tossing banks of snow aside as they skidded to a slow halt. Trees were shattered and dirt and debris was thrown aside creating a long crevice as the figure went smashing into everything in her path. When the dust cleared Kori, bruised and beaten, emerged from the rubble only to stumble and collapsed in complete exhaustion and pain in a pile of freezing, soft ice beside the crater she had created. Her right leg was near useless. The impact of her fall ripped most of the skin off of her thigh and her hip felt shattered.

Back in the old days, she was one of the most sought out assassins in all the Makai, but now she had higher interests. The makings of this little escapade started a few months ago, just after her last meeting with Hiei. His last words to her rang in her mind for weeks until she decided that the answers she wanted were not going to just present themselves. Her new purpose was now gathering information.

She used her memories and the few dreams she did remember to piece together a base to branch from. The money she had saved up from her earlier jobs came in handy for purchasing favors and scrapes of information, mostly rumors that contained similar details from the things she remembered. Some led her to new information while most of it added up to nothing remotely connecting to her. As the money began to run out, she used her services instead to purchase the information she wanted.

All of the information she had gathered confirmed that her dreams were memories from her past and not interpretations from her mind. The next piece of the puzzle that she needed was the location of the village she came from. That place was the start and she would not rest till she found it. She had no idea where Kenshie found her and all she had to go on from her dreams was that the place was no more. There were many wild rumors about villages disappearing from explainable circumstances, but none that she could find that related to one vanishing without explanation.

She had just arrived at a pub on the edge of an obscure village in the Makai, to meet someone for a job. It was midday so the place was modestly filled with a few other demons sitting at tables here and there talking animatedly about the loose restrictions that were now in place by King Enki. The pub was decorated very sparingly with odd objects such as long dead skulls of ancient demons on the walls along with wooden tables and chairs. She sat on a tall stool in the corner of the long, mahogany bar and ordered a drink to aimlessly nurse as she waited.

Kori made sure to arrive at least an hour early to ascertain if anyone was either following her or paying unnecessary attention to her. Her fears were put to rest as the crowd shifted out for another without suspicion. As time passed, a stranger eventually sat down next to her in an exhausted huddled mass. He was very grubby, like he had traveled for a while. He wore a dirty, worn, brown hat and a matching trench coat that reeked of alcohol, sweat, and demon. His face was obscured but she could tell that he was very nervous about something.

When he as last spoke his voice was old and dry; "I have heard rumors that if I needed 'help' with someone, to come to you."

Kori looked over at him as his eyes darted around the room. "That depends on what you have to offer. Otherwise I may or may not be interested in helping anyone," she replied casually.

"What is it that you require?" he asked grudgingly.

"Rumors or facts about a certain event," she said plainly.

"I use to act as a record keeper for the former King Yomi. Intelligence on his enemies was his greatest strength. There was little we did not know in those days. What is it a young bird such as you need with that sort of information?" he asked with interest.

"In the past, there was a village that disappeared without a trace. Have you heard about it or know where it is?" she asked.

"Sounds like a cursed place. What is your interest in it?" he asked pressingly.

"My boss has an interest in it," she lied.

"Huh… Alright then," he began not really believing her but also not caring. "I have heard of such a place, though it does not exist in Demon World. The Human World has many stories about things of that nature happening, though I sense that you are more curious about the most recent incident. Right?" he asked as he eyed her with interest.

Her face was as stern as stone and her eyes glared intently into his. His nervousness increased under her gaze and he began to fidget. "You want to know more? Then you will have to 'help' me with a small problem," he said with a grin.

Kori absent-mindedly swirled her drink in her hand while continuing to study the old demon's eyes. They seemed familiar but she paid no mind to the feeling. "Continue…," she said finally after he had begun to bead sweat on his brow.

The old man took a short, deep breath before replying, "His name is Kaiden, I'm sure you have heard about him already".

Kori sat for a moment and thought deeply about the name she had just heard. She answered calmly, "Yes. In the underground he is known as the Sairento shi for his speed and the ushered death of his targets. Rumor has it that he enjoys not only toying with his victims but the actual kill itself." She lowered her voice and leaned in towards the stranger and continued, "They say he doesn't kill someone the same way he kills another, but invents new ways disposing of them".

He side glanced up at her, sweat now dripping down his face, "He has been hired to kill me. Is getting to him before he gets to me a problem for you?"

A small smile spread across her face as she answered, "Doubt it, but you will have to give me proof that your information is not only true but also contains an accurate location as well as locations of any survivors".

"I have detailed reports from Spirit World; I even know they sent their best agent to collect on scene information after the incident," he whispered.

She knew she hit the gold mine. "When I succeed in saving you from this little problem of yours, I expect payment or I will kill you myself…," she whispered heartless as she could muster.

He just nodded and left the pub, scuttling awkwardly. Kori usually didn't take on huge jobs for new clients, but she needed the information and his was the closest she had ever been to finding out the truth. This task was unsettling though. From what she could decipher of what she had heard, Kaiden defiantly wasn't the type to even get wounded from a fight. 'Doubt he is stronger than Hiei…,' she thought reassuringly.

Kori went through the normal routines, gathering information about him from her network and timing his most likely time of attack. But as she searched for information about him she found that no one knew much of anything about this particular assassin. What was even more chilling was that anyone who was able to acquire fresh information tended to 'disappear' without a trace. The only things she could find out about him were the things she already knew, which, she guessed, are only what he wanted everyone to know.

Three days into her investigation she finally hit a break. The grape-vine trembled with news that Kaiden was commissioned to hit a top-ranking official on the spirit world securities counsel named Hidou on his way to a meeting with the new administrative counsel. She could only guess that someone was getting tired of all the new surveillance that was being administered as a means of making sure that Demons adhered to the letter of the law in the Human world. She tracked down this official and waited for Kaiden to make his move. Surprising enough, within days of watching Hidou she understood why her client was still alive. He was Hidou and under an enormous amount of security, none of which were strong enough to take Kaiden out alone, but effective enough to keep him away.

She didn't have to wait long; within a week Kaiden attacked. Hidou finally revealed himself from his reinforced estate to attend the meeting. There was a chill in the air as the night seeped from the shadows on to the frozen ground covered in snow into the forest Hidou traveled in. The forest was unusually quiet, too quiet. Normally it would be bustling with animals getting ready for the coming darkness. It was barely dusk when all noise around her ceased. The carriage carrying him traveled on the road while Kori jumped from tree to tree following its every movement. It was surrounded by guards of every shape and size. It wasn't until night completely fell that Kaiden even showed himself. As the carriage was nearing the top of a hill, Kaiden could be seen in the middle of the road concealed by the shadows of the foreboding clouds. Just as the carriage stopped before him, the moon crept out from behind revealing the assassin as he stood awaiting his victim.

This was the first time she had ever set eyes on him; not too many people knew what he looked like. There were rumors of course, but Kori would have never guessed that they would be this wrong. Most people described him as being nothing but a shadow, while others said that he was deformed. He was defiantly not a shadow, being as that she could see him quiet clearly, and defiantly not deformed in any way. He was, however, tall with pale skin and a bone thin figure. He also had many various tattoos that formed curved designs on his face and hands that where more like thousands of tiny black dots instead of lines. He had long, blond, choppy hair that came down to the middle of his back and his eyes were so empty and cold that they where completely white. His clothes consisted of a few layers of long, simple cloth of various colors, which were held together with a belt. They came down to his knees over a white shirt and a pair of loose-fitting pants.

In an instant Kaiden had massacred all the guards with his double ended scythe in such a way that made even Kori sick to her stomach. Grabbing Hidou by the collar from inside the carriage, he threw him against a tree and brought one of the blades of his weapon to Hidou's throat. He was just about to slice Hidou's head off when he stopped suddenly and dropped him to the ground. Kori had concealed herself until that instant. In a flash she had positioned her blade at his throat while crouched behind him causing him to drop his target.

He merely uttered a menacing, shrill laugh that made her skin crawl. "It seems you have me in a sort of predicament," he said pleasantly in his crass voice. "Oh, what a lovely blade you have! Pray tell me, where would one acquire such a weapon?"

"You won't be living long enough to find out!" She shouted thrusting her blade deep into his throat. He gurgled sickeningly, spewing blood everywhere as he fell to the ground in a heap.

Hidou, who was not far away, was in the process of crawling to freedom. He climbed to his feet and brushed the snow from his clothes. "That was indeed impressive," he began. His hand reached into his coat, pulled out an envelope and handed it to Kori. "As promised," he said. "I have to admit, I never thought someone so young could have that sort of reputation but you have more than proved your worth."

Transfixed by the envelope, Kori didn't immediately sense what came next. Before she new it, a figure came out of the shadows slicing Hidou in half from groin to gullet. Blood sprayed like a shower of red rain over the pure white snow, melting it into small puddles of flesh and ice. Her surprise caused her to jump away into a crouch holding her long, dragon edged sword out straight ready for attack. Hidou's mutilated body fell in a mass on either side of the black shadow that slowly stood to its full height. He slowly removed his hood to reveal the same demon she had just killed a moment ago. Kaiden's chilling laugh screeched from his throat in a cackle that seemed to echo against the clouds.

'How? I just killed him!' she thought erratically. 'Last I checked, even dead Demon's don't get back up' Looking around towards the body she had just slew, she suddenly understood. Instead of her target in a bloody pile there was nothing, not even a red stain. 'How can that be…?' Turning her eyes back toward her target she found he was staring right at her.

Kaiden's voice had quieted to a low chuckle as he said in a very dark, monotone voice that seemed made of razors and venom, "My true target has found me...".

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?!" she shouted even though she felt she already knew the answer.

He only laughed again and said while hungrily licking Hidou's blood spatter from his lips, "Ahh, I have come for you, Koritsu Shita. Never thought someone would pay so much for me to not kill," he began. "An interesting change of pace, but I must say I prefer to make my own rain. So much more… satisfying" he finished speaking and went on to licking blood from his arm.

"Not too many people know that name. Who hired you?" she asked angrily.

"Will my telling you matter? You will meet them soon enough, why spoil the surprise?" he said smirking cruelly.

"If you think you can take me alive you are sadly mistaken. I would rather die then live as someone's pet," she said, her voice dripping with poison. She stood and let her body settle into her natural stance. 'I will let him make the first move…' she decided.

He just smirked at Kori's remark and replied, "You seem to be laboring under the misunderstanding that you have the ability to escape. It is almost precious…" A sigh passed his lips and then he vanished.

Kori was waiting and caught his blade in a quick motion. 'He's stronger then he looks' she thought as she tried to push back his attack. He knocked her blade away with the other end of his weapon, spun around and swung it towards her causing her to jump back to avoid getting sliced across the chest. Flipping, she landed on the side of a tree making the branches release the snow trapped among them and launched herself back at her attacker aiming for his throat. Blocking her attack he sent her flying again, this time out of balance making her hit the ground hard. Standing as quickly as she could, she drew her sword just in time to knock his blade away as it came down upon her. He jumped away suddenly, giving her time to get a better footing for her next attack.

"Seems you hold your own well, little precious…" he began in his razor voice. "If I keep using this to subdue you then I may accidentally kill you," he said with a sneer while holding out his double-edged scythe in front of him. It glowed for a moment and then changed form. The blades became smaller and the pole became thicker. The knives were not long enough to sever a limb, but long enough to incapacitate her.

'He can change his weapon at will. He is a Quest Class Demon, Damn!' she thought bitterly. 'I guess that answers what I killed earlier, a damn energy phantom.'

Pointing her sword for blood, she attacked him head on again only to be out maneuvered and thrown through a nearby tree. She brushed the wood chips off her and attacked him from the side instead of head on before the rest of the tree crashed to the ground, but he saw that coming as well. Brushing her katana away like a twig, he grabbed her petite body and crashed her face down, full force in to the ground indenting the earth with a small crater.

The hard ground knocked the wind out of her, but she pushed herself up only to be crushed back down by Kaiden's foot. "Are you done being obstinate yet? They insisted that you not be harmed unless necessary. Seems I'll be dragging a half dead body back with me if you don't coöperate," he said in an irritated tone.

He released his foot from her back for her to reply. She coughed up some blood but dragged herself to her feet. "A fully dead body sounds better to me…" she said leaning down to pick up her sword again. "You'll look real nice hoisted on to their doorstep with my apologies for my absence." She wiped the blood drops from her mouth and poised herself for another round.

Not liking her answer much, his anger flared making their battle gruesome and long. She gained some ground in their multiple, short skirmishes in wounding his left side but lost it just as fast when he punched her through a boulder and off a cliff. Kori emerged from the half-frozen rubble of rock and ice to find him standing over her again. He reached down and grabbed her by the throat picking her up with one arm.

"Do you wish to meet your captors now or do you want more?" he asked to her face, his breath smelling of rot.

Gurgling under his grip, she managed to grunt, "Screw you…"

Leaning closer to her face he whispered, "Wrong answer…" He held out his other hand to her chest and concentrated energy into his palm. The point-blank blast sent her flying through trees, snow and brush for at least a mile. When the dust cleared Kori, bruised and beaten, emerged from the rubble only to stumble and collapsed in complete exhaustion and pain in a pile of freezing, soft ice beside the crater she had created. Her right leg was near useless. The impact of her fall ripped most of the skin off of her thigh and her hip felt shattered. Looking around she saw her katana lying not far from her. 'At least I kept my grip on it…' she thought humorously. She managed to crawl to it and grab it before Kaiden arrived to collect her.

As he crouched over her he chuckled, "You can't even stand anymore and you still reach for you sword?" He laughed and walked a few paces away spinning his weapon around playfully.

At that instance, something occurred to her that she had long forgotten. 'Not very elegant but it might work...' she thought desperately.

The moment he turned towards her again she threw her katana through his stomach, catching him off guard.

Looking down at his abdomen, he laughed saying, "You thought that this would kill me? Oh, sad for you…" He reached down and tried to remove the blade but it wouldn't move. He stabbed his weapon into the ground and tried even harder to remove the sword, but again it wouldn't move.

Kori grinned weakly and said, "Try all you like. That sword is special." She lifted her hand while holding up her first two fingers to help control her energy flowing to her sword. It began to glow along with her hand. With a single motion of her hand into a fist the energy released and ripped Kaiden's body to bits and incinerated every piece in an immense blast. Her katana spun in the air landing just next to her wedging itself deep in to the cold ground.

Reaching up to the hilt of her sword to try to pull herself up off the freezing snow, she began to feel increasingly weak and disoriented. Blood flowed freely down her leg and her body felt stiff and swore. 'Looks like I over did it… I should have been able to finish him off faster…' was Kori's last thought before succumbing to unconsciousness as an ice storm began to brew.

* * *

**Note:** Quest Class Demons - Demons who can create something out of nothing, such as Karasu from team Toguro with his invisible bombs which is actually where he gets his name. Kuesuto - Kurasu literally translates to Quest Class.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

'Yawn.' Yusuke covered his mouth slightly in an attempt to hide his tiredness. Since Koenma finally came clean about what really has been going on with the second Kekkai Barrier he had gone between worlds for weeks with little to show for it. Keiko was happy that everything seemed to be calming down and was still hopeful that it would all turn out to be nothing. Kurama was not as optimistic. He was sure that this was the calm before the storm. He was not sure if it would be a month or years before the literal hell would break loose but he was determined to be ready for it. Yusuke, however, was getting pretty tired of it all.

The only consolation Yusuke had were his regular training time in the Makai. Not only did he get to see some old friends but he was also able to get away from Keiko's constant nagging about final exams. Everyone was eager to get back into training, except Kuwabara, who was convinced he could never catch up to Demons anyways. Though the one Demon Yusuke wanted most to fight again to even a score seemed very distracted. Most of the time he sat in his usual place in a tree that over looked the training ground and observed everyone else. The times he did get his hands dirty was usually on his own and away from everyone else.

Getting sick of his attitude, Yusuke decided to confront him one day. "Hey! Three eyes! You wanna actually do something or do you now prefer to just watch the rest of us sweat!" he yelled at Hiei who was relaxing in his tree.

"Hn, like I would waste my time on weaklings…" answered Hiei looking away towards the forest.

"What was that?!" Yusuke called back getting very angry. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder that brought him back to his senses. Turning he saw Kurama standing behind him with a look of concern.

"Yusuke, a word please," asked Kurama. While leading him away to a more private atmosphere, He debated on how much he was going to tell Yusuke.

"What is it Kurama?" asked Yusuke asked sensing something was wrong.

"Nothing that concerns our current dilemma, I assure you. What I have to tell you has to do with our mutual friend up there, though it is likely he will be very angry with me about saying anything. You must not repeat this if you can" said Kurama.

"Now I'm curious," said Yusuke intently.

"He is going through a change. Since Mukuro died he has gone back to who he was before he knew her. Now, it seems that the change in him is surfacing again. I am sure you have noticed it as well?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah, I've noticed something's different about him. Seems he's distancing himself from us and has almost lost interest in training these last few weeks. Do you know what's causing it?" asked Yusuke looking quickly back over at the small black form of Hiei.

"I am certain it began to happen after our run in with Kori," Kurama began. "Since Koenma is still hesitant to have us know anything about her, I cannot be sure why her presence has had an effect on him."

Looking at Kurama's forced expression of confusion that he knew all too well didn't convince Yusuke that was all he knew. "You aren't telling me something on purpose," he said suspiciously.

"Um, well…" said Kurama suddenly nervous.

"I knew it! Out with it! You know something that happened and Hiei doesn't want us to know about it," stated Yusuke bluntly.

Sighing, Kurama conceded. "It was at the Mansion. When I found Kori there, she wasn't alone…"

"You don't mean…?" Yusuke began but failed to finish his statement.

"Yes. Hiei was with her, protecting her after taking on the Demon within who had, according to Koenma, captured her," said Kurama in a low voice while side glancing at Hiei. "I am not sure it went well for him. He was severally weakened and I am completely sure the damage we saw to the mountain came from her. To be honest much of is a riddle only they can answer."

"Why would he do that? He would never risk his life for someone he doesn't even know. He would barely do it for us," said Yusuke more confused than ever.

"The only thing I can think of is that he knows who or what she is and that her life was worth dying for. Though I do not know who told him, whether it was Koenma or Kori herself," said Kurama.

"We could just ask him," suggested Yusuke.

"If you think he would gladly tell us, then why are we hesitating?" asked Kurama.

"I see your point," said Yusuke defeated.

"I went to see Kori when she disappeared. I was taking her sword to her and was hoping she could answer my questions…" started Kurama.

"…but she jumped out a window and vanished," finished Yusuke.

"Not entirely. Hiei was also there, as if he was watching over her from outside. I gave to sword to him to pass to her if he decided to pursue her. As you can see, he no longer has it," Kurama said.

"Uh, that's a bit creepy, even for Hiei," began Yusuke thinking about Hiei looming outside some girl's window. "He met with her but didn't bring her back. Why do you think he's acting like this?" asked Yusuke but then thought of a reason. "Do you think he likes her or something?" he added humorously with a grin.

"I do not think that is it," began Kurama. "He is trying to distance himself from not only us, but her as well. When he was with Mukuro he was by her side most of the time." He was not sure that reason was out of the picture as of yet but his behavior suggests some type of connection whether it is emotional or otherwise has yet to be determined. A thought occurred to him suddenly. "Have you noticed that when he is secluding himself, like he is doing now, his Jagan Eye is activated?"

"Is he watching someone do you think?" asked Yusuke.

"He is usually watching Yukina, but now that she lives at Genkai's estate there is no need to worry about her that much," replied Kurama. "He could be watching Kori. She has been off the radar, so to speak, for a while now. Even Koenma has exhausted his resources looking for her."

"Well, whether he is or not there is not much we can do about it. He can either sit and torture himself with this or do something about it. I don't think he has made up his mind yet," said Yusuke as he turned to look at Hiei again only be surprised that he was standing on the branch looking straight ahead out in to the distance. "Um, Kurama…" said Yusuke pointing over to Hiei.

Looking over at him, Kurama saw his distressed expression, his fists clenched, and his body shaking. Kurama knew something was wrong. "It's Kori… She's in trouble…" he said nervously. With that Hiei vanished.

Surprised he couldn't pick up Hiei's movements, Yusuke said, "Sometimes I forget how fast the little guy is…"

"He is long gone," began Kurama. "I doubt we could find him now, though I doubt he would want us following him."

"Ch, well good luck to him if he's willing to deal with all that. My understanding from Koenma is that she is an enormous pain in the ass," said Yusuke while he put his hands behind his head and lazily headed back to the others to continue his sparing matches.

While looking in the direction Hiei went Kurama said to himself, "I'm not entirely sure he has a choice."

* * *

His body flowed like water through the trees, his muscles more responsive than ever before. He pushed himself to his limit and beyond, reaching a speed of almost double he usually achieves. He didn't concern himself with why he was doing what he was doing, or even thinking about what it meant. The only things that he contemplated were the distance he had still to go and the dark Demon covered in blood that loomed over her. His third eye glowed with the vision of her opponent licking his arm clean of the other demon's gore. The look in his eyes as he looked at Kori made Hiei ripple with anger.

Hiei's body tightened and flexed when he watch the Demon disappear, but then saw that she caught his blade with hers. He managed to push her back but she jumped away and countered only to be thrown to the ground. A growl ripped through Hiei's throat. 'I shouldn't have let her get so far from me…' he thought bitterly. Since he saw her last he had kept tabs on her from a close distance. This was the first time he was this far from her.

"Can't trust her alone. Damn girl!" he said out loud without noticing. He watched as she got up in time to defend herself against The Demon's attack and knock it away. He seemed to pull back from her, but only to change his weapon. 'Quest Class…' Hiei thought while pushing himself farther than before as he remembered Karasu in the Dark Tournament. 'She will die if she fights much longer'.

Hiei watched her brush the wood from her clothes after going through a tree only to be crushed into the ground with her next attack. A shock of electricity went through his body when blood began to drip from her mouth. It was all he could do to keep his energy under control when he watched the Demon push her into the ground while she was trying to get up. A part of him was relieved when she pulled herself to her feet when he let her go but was near horror-stricken with what came next.

They fought fast, hard and long. Blow after blow took a toll on her body but her determination and stamina never faltered. Her movements were near perfect but the Demon always saw a flaw and countered. She avoided most of his heavy attacks escaping them with only a few scrapes and bruises that she didn't seem to notice. The real change in the battle came when he landed a strong attack and she went flying through a boulder and off of a cliff. He watched her crash into the ground, hard; so deep the rocks covered her from view. She crawled out slowly, her body beaten but still functional. Hiei noticed snow on the ground beginning to grow more prominent. He was in the area.

The Demon was upon her again grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up. He could smell them now, he wasn't far. 'Just a few more miles,' he thought but it was too late. The Demon let loose an energy blast at point-blank range into her chest sending her like a rag doll through the forest. He heard her scream from where he was. Hiei's blood went cold, 'Is she…?' he thought not wanting to finish. He would soon find out when he arrived and the Demon tasted his sword.

The power of the attack interfered with his Eye but he was able to find her crawling out of a ditch a ways away. He could smell her blood; a lot of blood. He let loose a loud growl that was near close to a snarl while watching as the Demon approached her. She had gained back her sword she had dropped at the last second but could not stand. The Demon seemed amused by this and paced around as if toying with her. All of a sudden her sword stabbed him in the stomach. Her grin on her face told Hiei that this was it, she had the Demon where she wanted him. With a motion of her hand an explosion lit up the night. Hiei had to brace himself for a moment from its intensity.

When the dust cleared, he tried to find her again with his Eye, but the energy patterns were still too strong. The wind began to pick up as a strong storm began to churn around them. Without hesitation, Hiei continued his pursuit till he found the clearing where she was. Snow had begun to fall slightly obscuring what was left of the Demon and Kori. He found her small form collapsed and unconscious near buried by a bank of ice. He rolled her over and lifted her head in a panic. She was half-frozen from the snow, bleeding profusely and not moving.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

There was a faint glow in the darkness. Fuzzy and unrecognizable, it shined and wavered like it was dancing. Its arms would rise and disappear only to reappear in the middle as it swayed and twirled in the ebony. It was warm, but her limbs were frozen with cold. She couldn't feel her feet and her arms were stiff as if made of ice. The air too was that of a blizzard wind that tore at her lungs and lips, but the heat of the light blew new life into her slowly. It felt like it wrapped around her like the sun, gradually working into her skin. Hot wind blew along her neck so slightly it felt like a small branch from the radiance reached over to caress her chilled cheek.

As her limbs regained life she started to feel a sharp ache in her right leg. Her outer thigh burned lightly with pain from her hip to her knee. It felt raw and tight. She tried to move it but was met with blinding pain. Groaning, she lay still until it throbbed back to an ache.

All else around her, besides the pain, was a never-ending sea of waves compiled of bitter cold and warmth swirling around her but she wasn't floating in it. Her body was up against something solid, hard but malleable. She pushed up into it a bit with her hand making it shift slightly but it settled back down to where it had been. Suddenly she felt something tighten around her and the heat increased. It was then she realized that the lightly lingering glow was not the source of the flushing life that ebbed through her; it was what she was basking against.

Feeling that this was strange, she pushed and pulled at the blackness to see what it was. Slowly the view of the light began to clear. Closing her eyes briefly to focus them better, the place she was came into view. A fire was crackling brightly in front of her. The flickering light danced around the walls of a small, dark cave made up of a smoothed brown stone. A wavering, howling could be heard coming from around a particularly large rock formation that jutted out of the wall. White flecks of snow came fluttering in from the gale that tore though the forest outside.

'What happened…?' she thought groggily, trying to make sense of her memories. She remembered collapsing in the snow bank after killing Kaiden but everything after that was blank.

Her leg began to hurt again. Reaching down to it she realized she was wrapped in a sort of dark cloth that was drenched with a familiar scent. Touching her wound, she found that it was covered with large, lush leaves that were bound around her thigh by a sort of vine. The make-shift bandage was soaked in a strange smelling substance she couldn't place. She also noticed that most of her clothes were missing. All she had on was her undershirt that covered only her upper torso and a pair of underwear. Looking over at the fire again she saw her clothes laid out on a rock on the other side. 'Who…?' she thought absent-mindedly.

Her shifting had caused what she was leaning against to move again. A slight growl escaped along with a stream of hot air that coasted along her neck. Something long and thin gripped her waist, pulling her closer against it. Her body froze. Adrenalin prickled her skin. Her eyes began to examine what she had not noticed before. She was quick to realize that it was not something, but someone. A long, muscular arm was stretched out and hung loosely on a knee that was hiked up as a support held up her head. Looking towards the other side of her, she saw the other knee hiked up as well, but the arm was wrapped around her waist instead. A peculiar thing about that arm made her heart stop. It was wrapped with a long, thin, white bandage from the fingers to the shoulder.

'It can't be… Why would he be here…?' she thought as her eyes traced the bandaged arm to the fringes of a tattered, sleeveless, blue shirt to the sculpted neck of the last person she expected. 'Hiei…' she thought, swallowing hard. Her face flushed scarlet when she realized he was probably the one who took off her clothes and patched her up.

His head was slouched over in sleep. His breathing was hot yet peaceful and his features were calm. His youth shined through his expressionless face. His crimson eyes seemed, to her, what was most intimidating about him besides his power, but now that he wasn't glaring at her in anger or frustration, he seemed almost handsome. While thinking this, her face turned a deeper color then before as she became very aware of his toned body heaving against her mostly naked back with every breath he took.

She could tell that his cloak was wrapped completely around her and he was clothed but it still felt like they were touching skin to skin. The wind whipped inside violently but his burning aura was so all-consuming that it felt like a cool breeze brushing in instead.

'What do I do…?' she thought to herself as her nervousness increased. She could feel her heart pumping hard in her chest and her hands were shaking. Her stomach seemed to have disappeared as well, replacing itself with a black hole made of nails instead.

'I need to calm down first…' she thought. Sighing to collect herself, she continued, 'This would be far less embarrassing if I had some clothes on. But how can I get them without waking him?' She was pretty sure she was never this exposed even with Kenshie. He would usually turn away and go behind a tree or leave completely. Now, Hiei not only stripped her this time but found her in the mansion less than decent as well.

She pulled the cloak lower to free her arms a bit more while also watching his face incase he stirred. He didn't move. She touched his arm that was around her and attempted to loosen it. He jerked his arm slightly at this but it was enough to send her into a panic causing her to move her wounded leg into an awkward and painful position. She let out an unintentional cry and gripped her leg. She bit her lip, hard, but a whimper escaped anyways.

All of a sudden, the arm she was trying to remove came to life and moved her hand away from her wound. His hand was blisteringly hot to the point that if he held her still half-frozen arm any longer he would have marked her skin. He reached down behind her leg and repositioned it to where it didn't hurt anymore. After covering her up again he gripped her waist again, tighter than ever. Then, to her surprise, his nose and lips caressed her neck sending chills down her spine. He let out a long sigh connected with a deep growl and settled back to where he was before.

Kori had no idea what to do or even think. She could still feel where his nose traced her neck from the nape to the earlobe. A chill had resonated throughout her body and her heart thumped loudly for a few moments. Looking around at him carefully she examined his face again.

'Is he awake?' she thought suspiciously as she collected her senses again. 'He doesn't look awake.' She waited until she was convinced. 'He has to be asleep. There's no way he would do something like that intentionally…' she thought touching her neck lightly. It still tingled. She attempted to free herself again. She carefully grabbed his wrist and started to pull it away from her but she was stopped by his deep, calm voice.

"If you stay put you might not freeze to death…" he said replacing his arm around her waist. Opening his eyes sleepily he watched as she turned slowly to look at him, her green eyes shining in a curious way. They seemed to grow at the sight of him staring back at her. 'So, she lived after all…' he thought as she tried to say something, but stopped short.

She seemed to reconsider her words and met his eyes again with determination. "How did you find me?!" she asked forcefully. "How long did you follow me this time?!"

He looked at her directly and answered sternly but exhausted, "You're an Idiot, you know. If I hadn't found you, you would have been dead by now."

Grumbling, she looked away. "Why are you following me? A scent here, an energy signal there… Always only for a split second, but you can't fool me. Why?"

"It's your own fault for being so reckless…" he answered.

Whipping to look back at him she said louder than she meant to, "And what? You want me to just sit around and do nothing to find out what I am? Be a good little girl and do as she is told?!"

"No, I don't think you could ever do that, nor do I wish it. You are, however, a careless moron. The only one who can tell you who you are is you. What you are doesn't matter. It's not like knowing is going to change anything," he said as clearly as he could but his voice faded out at the end.

"Sounds like you know from experience," she said, taking him by surprise. "But like I said before, if I can't control this then it will control me. I have to know, and if being reckless is what it takes then so be it."

His gaze intensified, penetrating her. It felt like he could see into her soul. She turned away quickly, her heart beating fast again. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought trying to keep calm.

Growling loudly he said, "Fine, do as you wish. Just don't try to get yourself killed again. I have enough to worry about without you running fool heartedly towards death every second."

Anger gripping her suddenly, she turned and shouted, "I don't remember asking you to worry or save me!"

His eyes were already closed and his breathing had resumed its original tempo. Huffing to herself irritatingly, she looked back at the fire but tried to keep a distance from him. 'Damn him' she thought angrily, 'He always has something to say, always telling me what I already know! What is he getting at?! He just doesn't understand! Too many people have died that didn't have to, just because I can't control myself. I am not some helpless puppy lost in the world! I have learned to take care of myself alone and I can figure this out by myself too! He's so high and mighty! Stupid Hiei!'

All of a sudden his other arm grabbed her around the shoulders and together with the one around her waist forced her body against his. "You should sleep," he said softly in her ear. "You'll heal faster."

Her breath caught in her throat and her nervousness took over. Her mind went blank, her pulse exploded, and body trembled with new fervor. She wanted to push him away; to put distance between them but there was no way he was going to allow that with the current circumstances. 'He's too close… I can't think!' she thought tensely.

She was not used to a guy being so close to her. She knew he was only doing it to keep her warm, but it was the most intimate she had ever been with anyone. Kenshie had held her shoulders with his hands once and also she was almost forced upon by Satzu but that was very different. She enjoyed Kenshie's touch when he allowed it and had despised Satzu's. Now she wasn't sure what to make of what she was feeling when Hiei was this close.

She looked behind her at his sleeping face again only to return her gaze to the fire quickly when she started to lose her senses again. 'Seriously, what is wrong with me?' she thought. Deciding that she had more important things to think about, she concentrated on settling down her nerves.

'Stupid Hiei…' was her last thought before sleep took her again.

* * *

He was alone in a dark room. The lightning flashes and surges of energy pulsing through the polluted atmosphere went unheard in his solitude. A single torch on the far wall was the only source of light in the entire expanse of the hall. The great chair he sat upon was situated like a throne of a lost land. No finery could be noted, no grandeur, just dust and memories of the past erupted in the chipped furniture of the room and cracked stone of the wall.

He was just told that his assassin had failed to capture his intended target. "The Child of Darkness still walks free…" he said, causing the dust to stir around the room with a sheer whisper.

His resources were few, but they were not likely to fail. His mind turned then to the past, where he had first tasted her essence. "So pure she was…" he said when he thought of her walking as a child back home to her village. "So capable…" he continued with a smile as the picture in his mind formed the image of her dripping with the blood of her family and village.

"Such a shame she killed herself; so willful and obstinate. She could have had everything if she would have just taken my offer. I wouldn't be rotting in this prison if I still had her…" he said softly as he gazed off into the darkness; lost in his recollections.

Reaching over to an assortment of buttons on his arm rest, he pressed one and almost immediately the door closest to him opened. A tall figure appeared and advanced towards the massive Demon. The torches came to life as he approached causing the light to emphasize the deep scars and flaming red hair of his master. His hair was a coal-black that flowed down to his chin and his body was long and thin, but well-built. The armor of a samurai clung tightly to him as his blood-red cloak skirted the ground behind him. Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword he knelt before the massive Demon.

"You summoned me, Lord Osha? How may I serve you?" he said courteously in a light voice devoid of malice.

"Yes, Utani. I have decided to use 'The Professor' to retrieve my dear girl," said Lord Osha.

"Are you sure that is necessary, My Lord? There is a strong chance he will get carried away again," asked Utani, gently.

"His 'Special Skills' are needed. I had intended to use him anyways for the final act of my plan to free us from this prison," replied Lord Osha.

"I understand. I'll contact him immediately, My Lord" said Utani while standing. He gave a low bow and left promptly.

"So easy it was to enter your mind in that body," said Lord Osha as the lights began to dim and silence befell the hall once again. He imagined her young mind so open and vulnerable during her past life where he had first met her.

"I wonder if you have changed much in your current life, Koritsu Shita. Or rather I should call you 'Saisho: The Child of Darkness'!" The ecstasy he felt in once again controlling the ultimate weapon erupted inside him. His laugh bellowed from his chest, shaking the walls and stirring the dust like a volcano exploding into the atmosphere.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Startled, she jerked from her deep sleep. Her eyes couldn't make sense of the image flashing before them. A man was standing on a misshapen mound of eyes and blood laughing. Fire blazed around him from the dark. Strewn on the ground were bodies and gore, swords and stakes protruding from faces, stomachs and arms. She couldn't understand why it was there in her mind, blinking over and over until she could smell the people cooking in the flames. The laugh continued ringing in her ears as if playing like a record from deep within her soul.

She had never witnessed such a thing in her life and yet it was so detailed and familiar that she was beginning to doubt her own memories. Watching the glowing cinders of the dying fire she slept next to, she lost herself in her memories. 'What is that…?' she thought touching her face and feeling half-dried tears on her cheeks. 'Why do I keep seeing that horrible picture? Why do I know that voice?'

Finally becoming awake she quickly looked up into a branch that over looked her camp to see if she had woken the fire demon who rested there. His face was smoothed with sleep and he didn't seem to have moved since he perched himself up there. 'Good, still asleep. I don't need him thinking that I am weaker than he already knows,' she thought irritably as she cleaned her face of the tears and dirt that had smudged.

They had been traveling for a few days now in search of the place that the information she had obtained from fighting Kaiden had indicated. Kori was not fit to move around on her own yet with her injured leg, but she insisted that she continue her endeavors to find out about her origins. Reluctant to allow her to roam freely and unable to protect herself fully, Hiei objected forcefully.

"You are truly an Idiot…" he said. "You can't even stand and hold your sword! How do you expect to fight in your condition?"

"I am not going to just sit and let this lead go cold!" she responded as she tore the last of the fabric of the tight pants she had ruined making her injured leg bare so changing the bandage on her wound would be easier while also not having to strip. "What if evidence is there right now that could disappear any moment?! There could be no other chance! I have to go even if I have to half drag myself!"

"You would go running, yet again, to possible death just for your selfish desires?!" he said with venom in his voice.

"You can't understand! You don't care if I know or not! You can't see that this is necessary! I have to do this and fast!" she retorted staggering to her feet. He grabbed her arm and restrained her against the wall of the cave they had taken refuge in during the ice storm. He pulled her arm above her head, pinning her between the wall and his body.

Leaning down a bit to face her directly he said, "This is really that important to you? For you to act so foolishly is it worth it?" His eyes burned into hers but she stared right back with no fear or apprehension.

'I have to make him understand. If I don't finish this as soon as possible than others around me are going to start dying. I can't watch that. Not again,' she thought as the memory of Kenshie's death streamed across her mind. "Yes, it is," she said determined.

He knew she was going to go no matter what because she had already made her choice. It wasn't until that moment, however, that he made a decision of his own. "If you insist on going, than I will go as well," he stated plainly.

"What? But you disapprove of me even trying!" she said stunned.

"Maybe so, but it's better than you dying needlessly and without being able to even defend yourself against the weakest of foes," he pointed out.

"I can still fight! I don't need a babysitter!" she yelled back at him.

"Really?" he said with a smirk. He grabbed her throat with his free hand, shoved her against the wall and lifted her up off the ground. She struggled to pull his hand from her. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Than simply push me away…"

Kori shifted and fought but he held her firm. She couldn't breath. His smile widened smugly when her attempts became weaker and weaker. "Just admit your weakness…" he whispered to her again.

Shame gripped her heart. 'I should be stronger than this…' she thought despairingly. "I…" she said breathlessly.

Hiei's smirk faded and his eyes grew calmer.

"I can't… fight… yet…" she finally said.

Without hesitation he let her go. She collapsed to her knees clenching her throat, coughing. He turned and walked away to where his cloak laid. Wrapping it around himself he grabbed Kori's sword and went to place it on her back. As he latched it across her chest she looked at him curiously.

"I didn't actually think you would admit it…" he confessed softly.

"I swore that I would be stronger the next time I saw you, but I still can't…" her voice faded

"You are, I don't think you would have won that fight the last time I saw you. But just remember, it is going to take more than that to beat me…" he said smugly.

He turned away from her, offering to carry her on his back. Confused, Kori hesitated. 'What is he up to? When I first met him he would never have done any of this. What does he really want from me?' she thought erratically.

After a few moments, he looked back at her and said, "You can't become stronger, unless you know your limits."

Looking at him, she realized that she finally understood something he said and nodded. As she placed her arms around his shoulders, his hands reached under her pulling her on to his back with ease. Taking special care not to stress her leg he left. Slowly emerging from the cave into the sun, they had begun their journey.

Kori sat with her cloak wrapped around her as she stirred the fire bringing it back to life. She added a few more small logs to give it more vigor. Pulling her knees to her chest she placed her chin on them and wrapped her arms around her legs. Staring into the renewed fire she tried to clear her mind of the horrors of her dreams.

However, the deep, red eyes of the fire demon in the tree had been watching her for a long time, little to her knowledge. It was her voice that stirred him from his rest.

"Not again…" she had said weakly in her sleep. Looking down at her, he could tell she was not conscious and had decided to just ignore her, until she spoke again.

"NO! Why are you here? Don't make me kill them again…" she said and started to sob quietly. Her body was shaking as she pulled herself into a ball. Her aura was acting strangely as well. It pulsed and reverberated her feelings of pain deeper than he had even known, despair darker than an abyss, and regret that burned from her soul. He grabbed his chest for a moment feeling that this beating sensation from her was more than even he could stand.

"Please, no…" was the last thing she had said before waking up a few moments ago.

He wasn't sure what to think. He closed his eyes. 'That was no ordinary dream. Her soul reacted to what she saw,' he thought.

The story Koenma told him was not adding up. 'If her soul wants to destroy our world, then there would not have been regret bursting from her like it was just now,' he determined. 'Kori herself does not want to destroy the world, her will to find out what she is and stop it from occurring if evidence enough of that. Can the soul do what the mind does not?'

He considered this a bit. 'If not and her soul does want all of us gone, then only Kori can stop it. But, also, if what Koenma said is not what is truly going on, than again she could be the only one who can stop what's coming.' He was not sure if he was right or wrong, but he was certain that she has a path that she is following and at the end was the world's fate.

'Ch, I'm starting to sound like Kurama…' he thought suddenly. He cleared everything else out of his mind, not really feeling that it was worth worrying about. 'Whatever comes will come whether or not I figure it out,' he decided. He wondered why he even cared in the first place, but he felt that deep down that he knew the answer. He looked down at her staring at the renewed flames and remembered.

He came upon it when he saw her broken body in the snow. He pulled her into his arms and he felt regret that he could have prevented her from going this far but didn't. She might have died during that battle and there was no telling what the world would have suffered or not. He looked at her dirty, frost covered face and knew she could die right then if he didn't help her. He couldn't leave her there, so he took her to a cave that was suitable. He built the fire and made the medicine for her wounds. She was soaked with freezing water so he began taking her clothes off to warm her.

He tried not to pay much attention to her, but he couldn't help but notice her. Her broken, limp body was so vulnerable and soft in his arms. She moaned in pain when he bound her leg. He took his cloak and wrapped it around her to cover and warm her. His mind was blank throughout his endeavors. His hands moved quickly with little interference from his thoughts. All he could see was her vulnerability and pain. He wasn't even sure if he cared that the world might have suffered if she did die, only that she was in trouble.

At first he laid her by the fire wrapped in his cloak, but it soon became clear to him that she was not warming fast enough. Careful to not hurt her, he pulled her as close to his body as possible. With him having the nature of fire he could heat her faster than she could herself, possibly saving her life in the process. He had no idea if she would live. 'Impress me one more time…' he thought as he had drifted off to sleep with her firmly against him.

Thinking back on it, he couldn't really understand why he reacted the way he did; racing to her, pulling her from death and even staying with her. It was against his very character to even think past whether or not to kill his opponent. Friends were not something he even considered bothering with until he met Kurama and later Yusuke. Now he felt that he couldn't imagine facing death with anyone else by his side.

But what was Kori to him? A friend? A rival? A nuisance? He couldn't decide. 'She is something… but what?' he thought as he considered both her existence and his role in it.

Turning his gaze away from her he focused instead on the gray black clouds shifting in the sky. The moon came into view with its silver brilliance alighting the dark forest. Sighing he settled back down to his resting place only to notice that she was watching him. He saw her face change color from embarrassment for being caught staring, he assumed, and turn quickly away.

Not thinking much of it at first, a notion suddenly crossed his mind. 'I wonder. What am I to her?'

'What was that?' she thought in slight panic. 'I thought I saw him move and then...'

The image of him looking up as the night rays highlighted his features made her heart stop for a moment. When he looked at her, however, her heart raced like it was trying to tear out of her chest. She knew he watched her reaction to him catching her looking at him. 'I am so stupid! What could he be thinking now?! I am acting like such an idiot! Why should I even care what he thought?! Does it really matter to me?' she thought unexpectedly. She was so engrossed in what she was thinking and feeling, she didn't hear or sense him approach her.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked vaguely.

The sudden appearance of his voice so close to her startled her to the point of making her fall to her side with a small shriek. She looked up at him standing over her with his hands in his pockets with his face contorted in confusion. Severely embarrassed with herself for getting snuck up upon so easily, she yelled, "Would you not do that!"

"Ch, don't blame me for your inability to be vigilant," he retorted crossing his arms in irritation.

"I am always vigilant, it's just that I have gotten use…" she stopped short and turned away from him. Her face flushed red-hot when she realized what she was about to say.

Taking a quick glance up at him, she realized that he was waiting for her to finish her statement. "Um, it's nothing. Just forget it," she said trying to disillusion him.

"It didn't sound like nothing. You obviously have a reason you let your guard down. Though I am not sure why you would hide it, since it is good enough to risk your life over," he said plainly.

'Damn Hiei! Does he have to see through everything!' she thought irritably. "Fine. It's just that… that… I have... sort of… gotten use to you being around… so I stopped counting you as a threat…" she said not being able to look at him.

He chuckled a bit at the thought of not being a danger to someone.

"What's so funny!" she yelled at him feeling that he was laughing at her.

"Nothing that matters," he replied kneeling down over her.

"What do you mean by that!" she snapped.

"Exactly what it sounded like," he said grabbing her leg roughly and sliding her closer to him.

"What are you doing!" she asked in a panic trying to pull away from him.

"Checking your wound. We will be leaving soon," he said while undoing the make shift wrap.

"Wait, you don't need to. It feels fine. I can do it later… Hey! Stop…" she argued while trying to escape his hold on her. She couldn't explain why she was suddenly self-conscious with the thought of him touching her so intimately. He had done so before without her caring so much. 'Why do I feel this way?' she thought as she pushed his hand away from her.

He grabbed her shoulder and pushed her down, pinning her to the ground, till she stopped being defiant. He felt that it was irrational for her suddenly become so disobedient and unwilling. As he finished taking off her bandage, he looked over at her. Her face was very flushed and her body was stiff. 'What is wrong with her?' he thought while resuming his work.

When he first saw her injury, it was a bloody mess. Her skin was ripped off exposing most of her leg muscle. Now, new skin had begun growing over and looked fairly well healed. He began to feel around the wound to see if there was any sign of infection to the deep distress of Kori. 'His hand is becoming too familiar to me… I can't get so close. If I cause more terrible things to happen and he gets mixed up… I won't do that again! He needs to understand, but I don't know how to tell him' she thought desperately. She tried to get away again but he refused to let her go.

'Why is she acting like this? She's being reckless again' he thought in anger. Becoming fed up with her resistance, he grabbed her and held her against his body with his left arm wrapped around her neck while his right examined her leg thoroughly. Giving up, she buried her face in his arm not knowing what else to do.

Being completely unable to understand her behavior, Hiei sighed and loosened his grip on her. "Looks like you won't have to bandage it anymore. You should be able to run short distances on it now. Just don't over do it," he said while she pulled herself off of him slowly and settled down next to him.

"If that's the case, then I should be able to continue on my own. If I can run, I can fight," she began. "You don't have to bother yourself with me anymore." Her voice was distant and emotionless.

He looked over at her to see if she was serious. She refused to make eye contact so he could only guess. 'Ch, stupid girl! Why is she being like this?' he thought aggravated. 'I just said don't over do it!'

"No, really. I'm fine now, you don't have to…" she began but was interrupted.

"I'm going. It'll be interesting to see if Koenma was completely wrong, anyways…" he said with a smirk.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked eagerly.

"A lot of what he told me about you is not adding up…" he said remembering his conversation with Koenma.

"What did he say that is not adding up?" she asked trying to sound more disinterested in hopes of him telling her.

"Does it matter? Why bother telling you if its truth you want?" he asked.

"I see your point…" she replied a little disappointed.

The sun began to rise over the distant hills, chasing away the long night. Hiei stood suddenly, held out his hand to help her up and said, "Then let's go."

She hesitated a moment thinking about the dangers of staying with him. 'Can I really let him do this?' she thought while taking his hand. He tossed her sword over to her after collecting it and his own. Catching it she realized that whether she wanted him to or not, he would do as he pleased and that there was nothing she could do to convince him otherwise.

'Who knows, maybe it won't be like last time. I'll do everything in my power to not let it happen again' she thought while strapping her blade to her back. 'I swear it…'


End file.
